GABORONE, Botswana – INTERPOL has conducted a wildlife crime training course in Botswana to enhance the skills of the country’s police and wildlife officials in effective enforcement of environmental laws.
Some 24 participants from the Botswana Police Service and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks attended the five-day training session (17-21 November), which also served as a ‘train-the-trainer’ course.
Topics covered included operational planning, decision making, risk management, completing information collection plans, witness and subject interview techniques, crime scene investigation, search and seizure execution, and court procedures. The main emphasis of the training was on field exercises for crime scene investigation and search and seizure tactics.
The use of INTERPOL’s global tools and services to enhance multinational law enforcement collaboration in combating wildlife trafficking, including through intelligence-led law enforcement intervention, was also discussed in relation to field training exercises.
The training was organized in cooperation with the Botswana Police Service and Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Funding for the training was provided by the United States Department of State through INTERPOL’s Project Wisdom, which supports and enhances governance and law enforcement capacity for the conservation of elephants and rhinoceros.