The INTERPOL , the International Organization whose purpose is to fight against international crime allows the widest possible mutual assistance between criminal police authorities of affiliated countries and seeks to establish and develop all institutions likely to contribute effectively to the Prevention and Punishment of the common law offence. At the beginning of 21st century, the number of its members exceeded 180 countries. It operates in several sectors including fishing and crimes associated with it.
It is in this framework that INTERPOL proposes, with financial support of the Norwegian government, to organize a two-day workshop on crimes related to fishing in the West African coastal region on 15 and 16 May 2014 in its Regional Office in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The main objective of the workshop is to bring together national experts in law enforcement in fisheries management to discuss a study she has conducted on crime related to fishery in West Africa.
The objective of the study is to develop a global vision of illegal fishing and its criminal activities that could be related, and past and currently national, regional and international efforts / initiatives in place. The development of this vision will help, its project called ” Project Scale ” and the Working Group on Crime related to fisheries, to identify how the tools and services of INTERPOL could support the region in the fight against illegal fishing, while looking for opportunities to work with existing initiatives and avoid duplication of efforts.
The workshop is open to environmental agents of the police and and those of fisheries law enforcement in the region as well as other strategic partners.
The Secretariat of the FCWC has been invited to this important meeting and will present its efforts and lessons learnt in fisheries cooperation in the West Central Gulf of Guinea and especially in the fight against IUU fishing and its criminal activities.