INTERPOL launches Executive Police Development Course

South African Police Commissioner Bheki Cele was guest of honour at the opening of INTERPOL's Executive Police Development Course.

The three-week strategic training programme is designed to equip high-ranking officials with the necessary tools to assist in the development of national law enforcement policies and strategies to better address the challenges of international crime.

In addition to a series of briefings on INTERPOL’s activities and policing tools, the participants will also give feedback on the key areas of criminality in their countries, providing their colleagues at the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters with a better insight into the challenges faced on the ground.

INTERPOL’s Director of Training, Dale Sheehan said that the course will provide a great opportunity to share knowledge and expertise.

“It is important to remember that this Executive Police Development course is very much a two-way street,” said Mr Sheehan. “While we will be providing the tools and training to the participants to help them address management issues within their own administrations, their input will help us further develop our training programmes to better meet our member countries’ needs and therefore build a stronger global framework.”

Funded by Germany, INTERPOL’s OASIS programme currently helps countries in Africa develop a global and integrated approach to fighting 21st century crime by developing operational capacities for policing in the region and enhancing the ability of INTERPOL member countries to tackle crime threats nationally, regionally and globally.

Welcoming the participants to the course, General Consult of the Federal Republic of Germany Ingo Heinrich Radcke said that the OASIS programme is geared to help developing a security architecture in Africa, both internally and externally, and that the Executive Police Development Course will assist in promoting exactly this.

“Strengthening cross border co-operation between African police forces must be a high priority and who is better suited than INTERPOL, the only international police organization with member countries across Africa to promote this co-operation within the framework of OASIS?”

Representatives from the following 15 countries are taking part in the Executive Police Development Course - Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.