19-21 August 2020 - The global programmes CRIMJUST and AIRCOP, implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and part of the EU-funded Global Illicit Flows Programme, joined efforts to deliver a series of country-specific trainings on ethics and integrity in law enforcement to AIRCOP Joint Airport Interdiction Task Forces (JAITFs) officials from West African countries, including four CRIMJUST beneficiaries – Cabo Verde, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria.
A first training was delivered to 10 chief officers (including 3 women) of the Joint Airport Interdiction Task Forces (JAITFs) of Cameroon (Douala), The Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria (both from Abuja and Lagos) in early July. Experts based in UNODC Regional Office for West and Central Africa led a series of modules exploring key terminology and concepts and discussing best practices for supervisors and managers to identify and prevent corrupt practices. Experts outlined border and airport-specific vulnerabilities to corruption, along with the merits of upholding an ethical code of conduct and a climate of integrity.
This training was followed by an e-learning course for 16 AIRCOP officials based in Nigeria, including two women, aiming to strengthen internal accountability, promote police integrity and outline minimum standards in law enforcement codes of conduct. Experts drew upon both theory and practical scenarios customized to the local context to enhance capacities of participants to identify the potential for corruption in day-to-day interactions as well as to propose techniques and practices to report misconduct and promote integrity and ethical behavior.
Organized crime understands that corruption, in any shape or form, has the power to infiltrate and erode every level of society, corroding public confidence and undermining state institutions. The organized crime-corruption nexus is one that is powerful, self-reinforcing and interdependent. It is why CRIMJUST complements its capacity-building activities and initiatives to strengthen criminal justice cooperation beyond interdiction activities with efforts to enhance institutional integrity. This training joins prior endeavours to provide the guidance and insight necessary to implement anti-corruption measures and to promote a culture of accountability in law enforcement agencies.
Beyond West Africa, subsequent trainings in English and Spanish are scheduled to take place for JAITF officials based in Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Panamá, Peru) and the Caribbean (Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, among others).
This training was delivered online, in compliance with domestic regulations and the World Health Organization’s recommendations for physical distancing due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
This AIRCOP-CRIMJUST activity was funded by the European Union under the framework of the "Global Illicit Flows Programme" (GIFP).
The Global Programme CRIMJUST seeks to enhance law enforcement and judicial counter-narcotic strategies beyond interdiction activities and to foster transnational responses targeting each stage of the drug supply chain.
Funded by the European Union and other donors, AIRCOP is a multi-agency project implemented by UNODC in partnership with INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO). It aims at strengthening the capacities of international airports to target and intercept high-risk passengers, including foreign terrorist fighters, illicit drugs and other illicit commodities as well as to detect victims of trafficking in persons and smuggled migrants. It also aims at facilitating communication and coordination between origin, transit and destination countries to disrupt cross-border illicit flows and criminal networks.
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