US sponsors training of 7 Gambian law enforcement officers

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rd, seven Gambian law enforcement officers began the weeklong U.S. Government-sponsored Weapons of Mass Destruction Border Security and Interdiction Course at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Gaborone, Botswana. The seven officers representing the Gambia Immigration Department (GID), the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), and the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) will join law enforcement officers from throughout Africa in completing the course. The course will focus on the importance of having a viable border interdiction strategy and utilizing risk management techniques though interagency cooperation.  During the course, the participants will study and examine case studies in order to illustrate past border interdiction efforts as well as the inherent danger in allowing proliferation efforts to go unchecked.  The course is progressive and culminates in having the participants diagnose border security issues. Since 2012, the U.S. Embassy in Banjul has sent over 100 law enforcement personnel from the Gambian Police Force, GID, GRA, and NDEA to training courses in the United States, Botswana, Ghana, Senegal, and South Africa.  The training contributes to the development of The Gambia’s security capacity and The Gambia’s ability to exercise sovereignty over its territorial borders. Before departing, the group met with Chargé d’Affaires Richard T. Yoneoka at the U.S. Embassy. US Embassy Press Release]]>