BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- “The Steering Committee of the Police Cooperation Mechanism of the African Union “Afripol” has accepted to register Algeria’s proposal relating to obtaining the status of permanent member of the executive board of “AFRIPOL”, in the framework of the recommendations of the 11th session, held on May 3 and 4, 2023, in the capital, Tunis, to be presented for approval, during the work of the General Assembly, which will be organized in October 2023,” the general directorate of national security (DGSN) announced on Friday in a press release.
The Director General of National Security, Farid Bencheikh, has claimed a permanent seat for Algeria on the Executive Council of the African Union Police Cooperation Mechanism, Afripol-AU.
A request made on the occasion of his participation in the 11th meeting of the Afripol steering committee, held in Tunisia.
A legitimate claim in view of the pivotal role of Algeria; a leader of the first order in terms of cooperation and exchange with its partners within the Organization, particularly in terms of operationality, as has been evidenced by the great importance it attaches to the establishment of peace and security throughout the African continent.
On the agenda of the Tunis meeting, chaired by the Inspector General of the Kenyan Police, Japhet Koome, a presentation on the objectives of the activities carried out by the permanent secretariat of AFRIPOL and the communication system of the police in Africa (AFSECOM).
In this regard, the Director General of National Security urged the participants to strictly respect the fundamental principles stipulated in the statute of the Mechanism, particularly with regard to the election of a new executive office during the Sixth General Assembly of AFRIPOL, slated for next October.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Director General of National Security had bilateral talks with the President of the General Assembly of Afripol, the personal representative of the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security in the Union African Union, the director general of the Namibian police, the director general of the police of Guinea-Bissau and the representative of the police of the Central African Republic.
“These officials expressed their support for Algeria’s vision calling for the reorganization and reform of the Afripol mechanism,” the DGSN statement said.
African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL)
Purpose & Mandate
AFRIPOL is a technical institution of the African Union with a mandate to strengthen cooperation between the police agencies of AU member states in the prevention and fight against organized transnational crime, terrorism, and cybercrime. Its status was adopted by the AU Conference in January 2017 and became effective immediately.
The priority of AFRIPOL is to strengthen and harmonize the capacities of law enforcement agencies in member states and facilitate cooperation and collaboration among them in the prevention and fight against organized transnational crime. To achieve this goal, AFRIPOL provides law enforcement agencies with online training via its e-learning platform, in-person training, training of trainers, experiences and best practices sharing workshops, immersion internships, as well as scholarships.
The African Secure Communication System “AFSECOM”, is a key tool for implementing the mandate of AFRIPOL. It ensures secure and reliable communication between AFRIPOL and law enforcement agencies of the African Union member states, while allowing for the storage and sharing of data to enhance the cooperation between them in combating organized transnational crime, terrorism, and cybercrime. All AFRIPOL liaison offices are equipped with this system.
AFRIPOL maintains a strong partnership with African regional police chief organizations as well as with CAERT and CISSA. It also cooperates with numerous international police organizations, such as INTERPOL, CEPOL, FRONTEX, EUROPOL, GCCPOL, and UNODC. In 2020, INTERPOL and AFRIPOL established the support program for the African Union in relation to AFRIPOL (ISPA), offering both organizations the opportunity to cooperate in key areas, including combating criminal networks in organized crime, terrorism, and cybercrime. Since 2019, a cooperation project with the German Federal Police has been established, aimed at strengthening the capacities of law enforcement agencies in member states in key areas of their activities, particularly in forensic through the AFRIPOL Network of Excellence in Forensic.
