Cross-border police cooperation key to fighting organised crime

Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police Lydia Yaako Donkor, has called for stronger international police cooperation to combat the increasing threat of transnational organised crime.

She said the changing nature of crime requires law enforcement agencies across countries to strengthen information sharing and joint investigations.

According to her, international cooperation has already helped Ghanaian authorities disrupt cybercrime networks, recover stolen assets and rescue vulnerable victims.

“When police services cooperate, criminals lose the advantage of borders. When information is shared, victims have a greater chance of being found. When investigators work together, criminals have fewer places to hide,” she said.

COP Donkor made the call on Monday, September 7, in a statement marking the United Nations International Day of Police Cooperation.

The 2026 observance is on the theme: “Protecting Against Vulnerability; Building Trust and Legitimacy in Policing.”

Ghana has been a member of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) since 1958, with the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Accra facilitating international police cooperation.

COP Donkor cited Ghana’s participation in Operation Contender 3.0, an INTERPOL-coordinated operation against romance scams and sextortion conducted simultaneously across 14 African countries in August 2025.

The operation led to the arrest of 68 suspects, the seizure of 835 electronic devices and the identification of 108 victims.

Investigations established financial losses of about US$450,000, of which approximately US$70,000 was recovered.

She also highlighted Operation Sentinel, an INTERPOL-coordinated cybercrime operation conducted across 19 African countries between October and November 2025.

The operation helped identify the ransomware strain used to attack a Ghanaian institution, resulting in the theft of more than US$120,000.

According to the CID Director-General, nearly 30 terabytes of data were recovered and the perpetrators were arrested.

She said the successes demonstrate the practical impact of international police cooperation in protecting victims and disrupting criminal networks.