Born Free USA Delivers Training to Wildlife Law Enforcement Task Forces from Ivory Coast and Benin

by Alice Stroud in Blog, West Africa, Wildlife Trade on July 09, 2024

Basic intelligence training participants. Note that faces have been blurred to protect the identities of enforcement officers.

From April 22 to 26, Born Free USA delivered a basic intelligence training to the Wildlife Law Enforcement Task Forces of Ivory Coast and Benin. The training, which took place in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, was aimed at providing basic law enforcement intelligence skills necessary for the newly created national task forces to function proactively.

Consisting of 16 modules, the training covered a wide variety of important topics, ranging from the collection, handling, and preservation of digital evidence to security of intelligence. The training, sponsored by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), was designed to provide the Task Forces with the skills necessary to operate a functioning intelligence unit.

The basic intelligence training featured 16 modules that covered a wide variety of important topics. Note that faces have been blurred to protect the identities of enforcement officers.
The basic intelligence training featured 16 modules that covered a wide variety of important topics. Note that faces have been blurred to protect the identities of enforcement officers.

The need to strengthen enforcement coordination and enhance the detection, investigation, and disruption of Organized Criminal Groups have been identified as priorities for the development of stronger national and regional responses to wildlife crime across West Africa. In December 2023, the region adopted a West Africa Strategy on Combating Wildlife Crime, which requires each country in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to establish a multi-agency Wildlife Law Enforcement Task Force (WLETF).

The basic intelligence training covered topics ranging from the collection, handling, and preservation of digital evidence to security of intelligence. Note that faces have been blurred to protect the identities of enforcement officers.
The basic intelligence training covered topics ranging from the collection, handling, and preservation of digital evidence to security of intelligence. Note that faces have been blurred to protect the identities of enforcement officers.

As implementing partner for both INL and the USAID West Africa Biodiversity and Low Emissions Development (WABiLED) project, Born Free USA is delivering a series of five trainings for Wildlife Law Enforcement Task Forces from nine West African countries. These trainings will assist countries not only in enforcing wildlife laws nationally, but also in engaging in regional wildlife law enforcement through the West Africa Network to Combat Wildlife Crime (WAN).

The basic intelligence training was aimed at providing basic law enforcement intelligence skills necessary for the newly created national task forces to function proactively. Note that faces have been blurred to protect the identities of enforcement officers.
The basic intelligence training was aimed at providing basic law enforcement intelligence skills necessary for the newly created national task forces to function proactively. Note that faces have been blurred to protect the identities of enforcement officers.

The next training session will take place in Ghana at the end of May – an Advanced Intelligence training course for the Task Forces of Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria.

Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Alice

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