As part of the COPES Programme, an awareness regional seminar, organized in partnership with Mauritian Customs, took place from 24 to 26 July 2018 in Mauritius. The event brought together Customs Senior Officers from Burundi, Comoros, RDC Congo, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

The aim of the COPES regional seminar was to raise awareness of the invited Members about the importance of knowing about evidence collection, seizures in order to be able to lead effective investigations and prosecutions and to raise awareness of the importance of border security.

This seminar enabled the first French-speaking regional COPES trainer to gain official accreditation, representing the culmination of the process that began last February in Paris. Following a train-the-trainer event, seven French-speaking Customs officials from Benin, Burkina Faso and France were pre-accredited. They will play a vital role in promoting best practice based on Members’ experiences and advocated by the COPES Programme.  

For further information on the COPES Programme, please get in touch with Mr. Gilles Thomas (gilles.thomas@wcoomd.org).