LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE TO GHANA: IMPROVING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001160 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC EAID GH PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR SUBJECT: LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE TO GHANA: IMPROVING DONOR COORDINATION REF: ACCRA 939 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The UK High Commission recently chaired a donors, meeting on law enforcement assistance to Ghana. The U.S. and the U.K. are the only significant donors on law enforcement issues. The U.K. is focusing on narcotics trafficking, financial fraud, document fraud, basic police training, and trafficking in persons. The meeting highlighted the need for closer donor coordination and continued attention to assistance in this important sector. End summary. ¶2. (U) The UK High Commission recently hosted a donors, meeting on law enforcement in Ghana. DEA and Lgat officials from Congen Lagos joined Emboffs ad representatives from he Dutch, Spanish, and Caadian Embassies. -------------- UK Priorities -------------- ¶3. (SBU) According to High Commission officials, West Africa (especially Nigeria and Ghana) is one of the UK,s top ten regions of concern worldwide for organized crime. Britain,s priority law enforcement concerns in Ghana are: Cocaine trafficking: UK authorities apprehend around 40 cocaine traffickers coming from Ghana each month, an increase over previous years. The trade is controlled by Colombian and European criminal organizations. This problem will not go away anytime soon, the officials said. The British government provided about $100,000 of assistance in 2005 to Ghana,s Narcotics Control Board (NCB),helping fund a new headquarters and training suite. UK Customs Officers plan to provide the NCB with 6-week training sessions in counter-narcotics over a two-year period. Financial Fraud: The UK has provided the GOG with technical assistance to draft an anti-moneylaundering bill and establish a Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). A UK expert in this field has already traveled twice to Ghana to advise on AML issues. Document Fraud: The UK is working with the EU and the Dutch government to provide training in document fraud detection. A major EU project will begin in September-October. Police Training: The UK has committed roughly $380,000 to training the Ghana Police Service, although they have not yet determined how to spend it. Trafficking in Persons: The UK recognizes this as an area for concern in Ghana but has not committed resources to it. Illegal Fishing: the UK has been assisting the Ministry of Fisheries to track illegal fishing. Funds have been used to contract a UK-based company to put transponders on fishing vessels and track licenses. GOG officials recently visited the UK to purchase patrol vessels and perhaps patrolling aircraft. -------------- Other Donor Assistance -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Spanish have offered $82 million in soft loans to the GOG, $12 million of which is earmarked for the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry has not yet responded how they might want to access these funds. Spain has organized a seminar for Ghanaians in June 2006 in Madrid focused on document fraud. UNODC has identified Ghana as a priority country for its assistance to container security. France has a gendarme working here with the police. The Dutch government has provided assistance in document fraud. -------------- Improving Donor Coordination -------------- ¶5. (U) Participants agreed on the need to improve ACCRA 00001160 002 OF 002 coordination on law enforcement and to encourage the government to think more strategically about security-sector priorities and needs. This should include discussions on how to improve counter-narcotics and asset forfeiture laws. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶6. (U) The USG has been assisting Ghanaian law enforcement for years. In the past 18 months, US Customs has provided training on document fraud; we provided INL-funded counter-narcotics training; INL funded two highly successful ICITAP police training courses, which have already been replicated by the Ghana Police; we assisted in establishing a PISCES system for border control; we donated computer equipment to the police Monitoring and Inspections Unit; and we donated patrol bicycles to the police in Kumasi. ¶7. (SBU) The need is great for more assistance, at a time when our mil-mil and foreign aid relationship is growing significantly. Narcotics trafficking and financial crime are a very serious, growing concern with direct implications for the United States (see reftel on financial crimes). Document fraud is significant in Ghana, one of the largest immigrant visa issuing post in Africa. Ghana's Director of Immigration told DCM that the GOG wants assistance with expanding its border security force by 4,000 people. The GOG has never been more cooperative in our law enforcement relationship. We will work with the UK to engage the GOG on its strategic vision for this sector, to better coordinate donor efforts, and to look for more ways to continue to support this important sector. BRIDGEWATER