INTERPOL Firearms Recovery Protocol Meeting
On 3 July 2018, INTERPOL organized a meeting with representatives from Libya to discuss the importance of developing a comprehensive strategy to tackle the illicit trafficking of firearms in Libya, as this constitute both a national and regional problem. The Libyan delegation mentioned that recent change in their national legislation will make it imperative for citizens to license all their firearms and to test fire them. Moreover, Libyan representatives expressed their interest in connecting the iARMS database with the national database that they are in the process of creating in the country.
Funded by the European Union, the INTERPOL Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System (iARMS) is a platform that facilitates information exchange and investigative cooperation between law enforcement agencies in relation to the international movement of illicit firearms. Countries are encouraged to upload records of lost and stolen firearms in iARMS. Consequently, in the case of a recovered firearm, the database is queried and the country can identify when and where the firearm was diverted into illegal possession.
Shall the query not generate a positive result, the user can send a request to the country of manufacture, country of last legal import (if marked on the firearm) and to any country that may be connected to the case.
