The Ghana Police Service (GPS), with the support of the DCI (International Cooperation Directorate) of the Embassy of France to Ghana, organized the first international visit of its forensic science laboratory.
This forms part of a three day visit by the officers to Ghana which will last from June 2 to June 4, 2015.
The opening ceremony took place at the Police headquarters in Accra, in the presence of H.E. Frédéric Clavier, Ambassador of France to Ghana, Prosper Agblor, Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Donyinah Owusu, Director of Interpol Accra and Patrick Amalvy, regional Police Liaison officer of the Embassy of France to Ghana.
During the laboratory visit, West African Police officers from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and Nigeria were invited to share their experience.
The aim is to create a real West African forensic experts network, with the support of the regional Interpol bureau of Abidjan (RCI).
The experts of the different countries will use in the future the different specialties of the forensic lab in the framework of their investigations (DNA testing, narcotic drug testing, ballistics examinations, scientific photography and document examination among others).
This laboratory, inaugurated in November 2011, was funded by the European Union and is one the most modern science laboratory in West Africa.
The visit of the laboratory is being organized with the support of the French ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, through its regional assistance program to the fight against the cocaine trafficking in West Africa, named FSP ALCAO.
Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria are beneficiaries of this four year program.
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Credit: West African Police