CAPE VERDE: LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING NEEDS

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAIA 000025


EUCOM PASS ALSO AFRICOM FOR RSTRAYER, MBAKER
MADRID FOR DEA MOHANLON
DAKAR FOR OSC SMADDEN, RCLEMMONS

AF/RSA FOR CPOMMERER; INL/AAE FOR AALTON; DS/T/ATA FOR TGONZALEZ

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/16/2019
TAGS: SNAR MASS MARR PREL KJUS CV
SUBJECT: CAPE VERDE: LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING NEEDS

REF: STATE 5448

CLASSIFIED BY: Marianne Myles, Ambassador, AMEMBASSY PRAIA,
State.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b)


1. (U) Responses are keyed to questions contained reftel.


2. (C) Cape Verde's greatest law enforcement challenge is the
broad territorial waters under its jurisdiction and its very
limited capacity to exert rule of law over those waters.
Sitting astride major smuggling routes from South America to
Europe and Africa to Europe, Cape Verde is greatly concerned
about narcotics smuggling, trafficking in persons/illegal
immigration, and to a lesser extent smuggling of contraband and
weapons. Cape Verde has seen a sharp rise in residency visa
applications from nationals of drug producer states, and is well
aware of the trans-Atlantic narco flights arriving regularly in
Western Africa and which likely overfly and possibly even refuel
in Cape Verde. Maritime smuggling is a key concern, as
shipments are thought to be dropped at sea in Cape Verdean
waters for pickup and warehousing in Cape Verde until onward
transportation can be arranged. In other cases, smugglers have
used containerized shipments to smuggle drugs via Cape Verde,
principally cocaine. Corruption is traditionally quite low in
Cape Verde, but there is growing fear of the potentially
corrosive effects large sums of narco-funds could have on the
banking system, the investment climate, and perhaps the
judiciary and other arms of government.


3. (C) Cape Verde has very limited resources to respond to these
challenges. Police are generally trustworthy but their skills
are rudimentary and investigative capabilities severely limited.
The CV Coast Guard trains regularly with U.S. and allied
forces, but it lacks blue-water patrolling capability and has no
aerial reconnaissance, search and rescue, or interdiction
capability. The GOCV has a financial intelligence unit (FIU),
but the unit has been inactive and is generally considered
inadequate to the task. A much larger and better trained FIU is
urgently needed.


4. (C) Non-military training needs span the spectrum from basic
investigation, to evidence handling, lab analysis, interview and
interrogation, fingerprint analysis, database administration,
undercover investigation, developing confidential informants,
street survival tactics, gang analysis, working with at-risk
youth, and operational tactics.


5. (C) The GOCV has a demonstrated willingness to accept and be
an effective partner in the implementation of USG assistance.


6. (C) Other ongoing efforts include training and technical
assistance from the Governments of Portugal and Spain in police
techniques, investigation, and provision of resources and
technology. The UNODC is similarly committed to building GOCV
capacity and to providing technology and resources, notably
including a plan to provide servers to store a planned digital
fingerprints database. It should be noted that several partner
state militaries are also providing training in interdiction at
sea, which are operations that ordinarily involve both CVCG
(military) and Judiciary Police (non-military) components.


7. (C) Post is not aware of any existing non-military regional
training center operating in Cape Verde.


8. (C) Comment: Post is currently working with INL, Department
of Treasury, AFRICOM, and other agencies to schedule an
inter-agency team of experts to visit Cape Verde in 2009 to
perform a needs assessment and establish baselines for
assistance in law enforcement, counternarcotics, and anti-money
laundering.


9. (U) Embassy POC:
Patrick Dunn
DunnPM@State.gov
ph: 238-260-8910

DUNN