Freetown, Sierra Leone – 14 September 2026: Two experts from the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), Kiyotaka Sekine and Carlos Gonzales Yepes, have paid a courtesy visit to the Inspector General of Police, Mr William Fayia Sellu, as part of efforts to strengthen collaboration between INTERPOL and the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), particularly in combating financial crimes and scams.
The engagement, held on Monday, 14 September 2026, focused on strengthening the existing partnership between the two institutions and exploring opportunities to enhance the capacity of SLP personnel in investigating financial crimes.
Speaking during the engagement, Kiyotaka Sekine said the visit was centred on two key objectives: strengthening the partnership between INTERPOL and the Sierra Leone Police, and supporting the development of the capacity of SLP personnel to effectively investigate financial crimes.
He disclosed that Sierra Leone is among 18 countries selected to benefit from a capacity-building project aimed at helping participating countries address financial crimes more effectively and proactively.
According to Sekine, the project is particularly important given the increasingly sophisticated nature of financial crimes and scams, which continue to transcend national borders and exploit advances in technology.
He commended IGP William Fayia Sellu for his commitment to strengthening cooperation with INTERPOL, particularly through the consistent nomination and deployment of police personnel to international training programmes and other capacity-building opportunities
Sekine noted that such commitment demonstrates the SLP leadership’s determination to enhance the professional capacity of its personnel and ensure that officers are adequately equipped to respond to emerging forms of crime.
The INTERPOL experts also expressed concern over the growing prevalence of large-scale scams in parts of Asia, noting that some of these criminal activities are increasingly extending to other parts of the world, including Africa.
They stressed that the transnational nature of such crimes requires stronger international cooperation, intelligence and information sharing, specialised investigative skills and coordinated law-enforcement responses across jurisdictions.
Sekine therefore underscored the importance of strengthening the capacity of investigators to identify, investigate and dismantle financial crime networks before they become deeply established.
In his response, Inspector General of Police William Fayia Sellu welcomed the initiative, describing it as an important step towards building on the existing partnership between the Sierra Leone Police and INTERPOL.
IGP Sellu expressed appreciation for INTERPOL’s continued support to the SLP, particularly in the areas of professional development, specialised training and international cooperation.
He assured the INTERPOL delegation that the Sierra Leone Police was prepared to work closely with the organisation to strengthen the capacity of personnel responsible for investigating scams, fraud and other forms of financial crime.
The Inspector General emphasised that Sierra Leone must not become a hub for international scammers and fraudsters, stressing the importance of taking proactive measures to prevent the country from being exploited as a base for organised financial crime.
He described the INTERPOL intervention as timely, noting that strengthening the investigative capacity of police personnel would enhance the country’s ability to detect, investigate and respond effectively to emerging financial crime threats.
IGP Sellu further stated that a strong partnership between the SLP and INTERPOL, supported by specialised training, intelligence sharing and international cooperation, would significantly enhance the Police’s ability to confront sophisticated criminal networks operating across borders.
He stressed that building a more formidable, professional and technologically capable police service would contribute to dismantling criminal networks involved in financial scams while protecting members of the public from falling victim to such crimes.
The engagement forms part of broader efforts by the Sierra Leone Police to strengthen international partnerships, enhance specialised policing capabilities and equip its personnel to respond effectively to emerging and increasingly complex forms of crime.
SLP Media Team
