By Fatou Dahaba
General Mame Seydou Ndour, the Inspector General of Police of Senegal, visited the office of the Gambia’s Inspector General of Police at the police headquarters in Banjul on Wednesday. This significant visit marks the first time a Senegalese Inspector General of Police has visited The Gambia. It symbolizes a renewed commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and enhancing regional security collaboration.
Gen. Ndour, accompanied by a high-powered delegation, has held key meetings and discussions to foster mutual interests between the Gambia Police Force and the Senegalese Police Force.
Speaking at the gathering in Banjul, Gen. Ndure urged the two countries to work closely and strengthen security cooperation because criminals know no border. ‘The only place they know is where they can be safe and not arrested by the police.’
He added that criminals should not be allowed to seek refuge in either of these two countries, so they must work together to protect their people and property.
He emphasized that if criminals know there’s no place to hide in Senegal or Gambia or know they can be apprehended in any of these countries, they will be mindful and will not seek refuge in either country.
IGP Ndure further explained the need for the two countries to collaborate and strengthen security. He outlined that even though there is no terrorism in the two countries, it is good to put mechanisms in place because no single country can fight terrorism alone. He buttressed the need for the states to come together, discuss, and consider the way forward to protect the two nations against terrorism, drugs, theft, human trafficking, or any transnational organized crime.
‘We’ve not yet witnessed any form of terrorism, but there are a lot of drug trafficking cases between Gambia and Senegal, which are sometimes intercepted by security officers in both countries. We should fight this together, including the stolen vehicle problem and timber smuggling. These are all crimes, and it will be easy to fight them when we come together.’
He said the two nations’ leaders are working together, so the security chiefs should follow that trend.
For his part, Seedy Muctar Touray, the Inspector General of the Gambia Police Force, reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to strengthening ties with the Senegalese police force.
He described the visit as an opportunity for the two delegations to discuss and exchange ideas about fostering bilateral ties and deepening security cooperation between the two nations.
IGP Touray said the two teams should be able to set up a technical working group from both countries to prepare a bilateral agreement or memorandum of understanding on expanding cooperation between the Gambia police force and the Senegalese police force.
He told the gathering that Gambia’s security sector is undergoing a reform process to align with international standards. ‘This will ensure that what used to happen here regarding general security governance does not happen again.’
