Dakar, Senegal. UNODC, through its Global Firearms Programme (GFP), organized a “Training workshop for magistrates and investigators on the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of firearms related offenses” from 30 May to 1 June 2023. The workshop focused on strengthening the technical and operational capacities of magistrates and investigators in order gain specific skills to conduct firearms trafficking parallel investigations, as well as on prosecution and adjudication. To benefit from the expertise of participants, the training focused on practical exercises that were developed and discussed in groups.
The activity was facilitated by UNODC, INTERPOL and regional experts, as well as national specialists. The course enabled magistrates and investigators to better understand topics such as the international, regional and national legal frameworks on firearms; the particularities of firearms offenses; firearms identification and tracing; financial investigations into offenses related to firearms; international judicial and law enforcement cooperation as well as interagency cooperation; all in a context of respect for human rights. The workshop is part of the GFP integrated support to Senegal, which has been ongoing since 2012 in close cooperation with the National Commission on Arms Control.
The opening ceremony was presided by Colonel Arfang SARR, representant of Ministry of Army Forces. During the opening, UNODC highlighted the importance of conducting interinstitutional trainings with experts who are tasked to worked together in the fight against illicit firearms trafficking. Participants included magistrates and investigators from the Counterterrorism Pole, members of the National Commission against firearms proliferation as well as other relevant expert in the country.
To benefit from its presence in the country, UNODC held various encounters with national counterparts, including on the support to ongoing firearms trafficking cases, particularly in terms of facilitating international cooperation. This initiative was made possible thanks to the support of the European Union through the DISRUPT project, a joint initiative with INTERPOL aimed at preventing organized crime, including the trafficking of firearms. Project DISRUPT is part of the Global Illicit Flows Programme of the European Union.
This project if funded by the European Union
