INTERPOL Firearms Recovery Protocol Working Meeting
On 8 May 2018, INTERPOL organized a meeting aimed at stressing the importance of coordination and cooperation among the different parties involved in firearms investigations. The meeting encouraged the implementation of the INTERPOL Firearms Recovery Protocol in order to promote a closer relationship between law enforcement, intelligence and forensics units upon the recovery of each and every firearm. Three participants from each country (Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama) attended the event, including: 1 representative from the National Police, 1 representative from the national ballistic laboratory and 1 representative from the intelligence unit.
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.
