Interpol joins war against poachers

By LONAH KIBET and

NYAMBEGA GISESA

Kenya’s efforts to fight wildlife poaching have received a boost with Interpol, the international police force, pledging help.

This was announced on Wednesday at a function in Nairobi where Interpol held the first high-level compliance and enforcement meeting with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).

“The fight against wildlife crime requires a collective role played by different players to help build the foundations and frameworks for international conventions,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said at the event held at the UN complex.

Steiner added that the international community was worried with the sharp rise in the poaching of elephants and rhino in Africa and was working towards “a less crime-ridden and more just world.”

Interpol comes in to support the efforts by UNEP in developing legislation, norms and standards and enforcement capacity to try and arrest a rapidly escalating environmental crime.

According to Interpol wildlife crime is estimated to be worth US$15-20 billion annually, ranking as the fourth largest global illegal trade after illegal drugs, human trafficking and trade in illegal arms.

Travel documents

Steiner emphasised the need to focus on the rule of enforcement in fighting the crime, saying the rule of law was the foundation.

Interpol Executive Director Jean-Michel Louboutin said they would provide a global system of communication to countries and will also help in identifying crime and criminals through global databases.

He noted that it was known that criminals use false identities and that the stolen and lost travel documents database containing millions of documents would assist countries in arresting criminals.

“We will provide the ability to our member states to access the database. It is important to also note that we work 24 hours a day and seven days a week,” said Mr Louboutin.