INTERPOL Regional iARMS Training Courses for Southern Africa

04/04/2017

08/04/2017

Activity description

Two iARMS Training Courses for Southern Africa were held at the in the INTERPOL Regional Bureau in Harare, Mozambique, from 4 April to 8 April 2017. The training was attended by the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia. The objectives of this training were to train personnel from INTERPOL offices as well as relevant units on the use of the iARMS database and to promote the use and benefits of INTERPOL Firearms Programme Policing Capabilities (iARMS, IFRT and IBIN) in the fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Central Africa. This training ensured that at least two participants from each country learnt how to use the database properly. The participants were advised to disseminate the knowledge acquired during this training to other law enforcement officers that will be granted access to the database.

Project description

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. Should the query does 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.

Type of Activity