The Criminal Investigative Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has awarded trainees of the INTERPOL I-CT Shield initiative.

Hosting the INTERPOL I-CT Shield programme, the "CID is advancing Ghana’s forensic and crime scene investigation capabilities," the Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department, Ghana Police Service, Yaako Donkor, said on her Facebook page.   

Ms Donkor presented awards to the trainees.  

The INTERPOL I-CT Shield trainees were taken through specialised training in crime scene management, forensic photography, drone operations, digital forensics, and evidence handling, she explained.  

Ms Donkor added that the officers were now equipped with advanced skills and modern tools to manage complex crime scenes, including terrorist incidents and mass-casualty investigations.  

The trainee officers are expected to pass on their training and experience to all regional crime scene investigators across the country, as they partook in a training-the-trainer programme.

"This marks a new chapter in Ghana’s readiness to respond professionally, swiftly, and scientifically to any major incident," Yaako Donkor underlined.

The training took place at the Detective Training Academy, and was funded by GIZ.

Interpol's Project I-CT Shield is aimed at combatting terrorism in West Africa, with 8.8 million euros as budget.

Background per Interpol.int

1. The situation

West Africa and the Sahel face growing terrorist threats from transnational groups and local extremist organizations. This can be explained by several factors, including regional instabilities, and porous borders.

While Sahelian member countries have faced terrorist threats for years, member countries in the Gulf of Guinea have increasingly suffered from terrorist incidents and related violence.

The development of terrorist networks in the region is a source of concern for member countries, as well as for the international community. Terrorism is a complex phenomenon and countering it requires a holistic and cross-border response.

2. Project aims

The overall objective of I-CT SHIELD is to enhance the operational capabilities of member countries to effectively counter terrorist threats and investigate attacks.

The Project will ensure effective use of INTERPOL policing capabilities by national law enforcement agencies, relevant specialized units and border authorities. It will do this by:

- Promoting the use of biometrics to prevent, detect, and combat terrorism;

- Encouraging the use of battlefield information to counter-terrorism;

- Strengthening physical and virtual borders;

- Enhancing criminal intelligence analysis capabilities related to terrorism;

- Increasing counter-terrorism investigative and operational cooperation at country and regional levels;

- Facilitating information exchange and access to data related to terrorism.

3. Project activities

We will support member countries in their counter-terrorism efforts by:

- Providing training on Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) of terrorist attacks;

- Building capacities to enhance border security in the region;

- Organizing Criminal Intelligence Analysis training sessions and mentoring activities to combat terrorism;

- Providing counter-terrorism operational support;

- Promoting intelligence-sharing around terrorist networks and trends.

Supporting our global counter-terrorism strategy, the project focuses on the following beneficiary countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Togo.