Freetown, 22 July 2026 – The INTERPOL Regional Specialist, Madam Baraka Dankassoua, paid a courtesy visit to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr William Fayia Sellu, ahead of a three-day training programme on Human Trafficking and the Smuggling of Migrants.
During the meeting, discussions focused on strengthening cooperation between INTERPOL and the Sierra Leone Police through enhanced intelligence sharing, capacity building, and coordinated law enforcement efforts to combat transnational organised crime. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to improving border security, protecting victims, and strengthening regional collaboration to address human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants across West Africa.
Addressing participants at the opening of the training, Madam Dankassoua highlighted the growing threat posed by human trafficking in Sierra Leone and the wider West African sub-region.
She stressed that the crime continues to affect vulnerable communities and requires a coordinated response from law enforcement agencies.
She explained that the three-day training programme is designed to equip investigators with practical skills, investigative techniques, and effective strategies to identify, investigate, and dismantle human trafficking networks, while also enhancing regional cooperation.
Representing the Inspector General of Police at the opening session of the training programme, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Andrew Mustapha Kamara, welcomed Madam Dankassoua to Sierra Leone and expressed appreciation for her commitment to strengthening the capacity of the Sierra Leone Police.
He conveyed the IGP’s gratitude and reaffirmed that human capacity development remains a key priority of the Sierra Leone Police.
He emphasised that effective policing depends on knowledge, professionalism, and continuous training, noting that officers can only perform confidently when equipped with the necessary skills.
DIG Kamara encouraged participants to make the most of the opportunity, reminding them that they had been carefully selected to benefit from the training, including officers deployed from the provinces.
He urged them to participate actively, ask questions, and engage fully throughout the sessions, stressing that learning is a collaborative process.
Highlighting the critical role of INTERPOL, DIG Kamara underscored the importance of international cooperation in combating transnational crimes such as human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants.
He referred to successful joint border patrols conducted with the Liberia National Police along the Mano River Union corridor, which resulted in several arrests, as well as ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation among ECOWAS Member States.
He further warned that human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants have become highly profitable criminal enterprises that exploit vulnerable people, particularly women and children.
He called on participants to apply the knowledge gained during the training to improve investigations, intelligence gathering, and cross-border collaboration.
Concluding his remarks, DIG Kamara encouraged participants to leave the training better equipped than when they arrived, reminding them that no one has a monopoly on knowledge and that continuous learning is essential to effective policing.
The Head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Detective Superintendent Mohamed Sidibay, emphasised the importance of strengthening investigators’ capacity to detect and investigate cases of human trafficking.
He noted that many criminal offences, including obtaining money by false pretences, may contain hidden indicators of human trafficking and should therefore be examined from a broader investigative perspective.
He encouraged participants to look beyond the apparent offences and identify links to organised criminal networks. He described the training as an important opportunity to sharpen investigative skills and deepen participants’ understanding of the evolving nature of transnational organised crime within the global context.
The Head of Training, DSP Alpha Kamara, also addressed participants, emphasising the importance of the Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants course in enhancing investigators’ knowledge and operational skills.
He encouraged participants to engage actively throughout the programme and to apply the knowledge and best practices acquired to improve investigations, strengthen law enforcement responses, and protect vulnerable victims from exploitation.
SLP Media Team
