UNOCT launches its second specialized capacity-building training curriculum in Morocco

Rabat, Morocco from 05 to 23 September –The Programme Office for Counter-Terrorism and Training in Africa, located in Rabat, Morocco delivered the Intermediate Module of its Specialized Training on Counter-Terrorism Investigations (STOCTI).

This second module, which followed the Foundational Module delivered in May-June 2022 gathered 23 students from Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal to strengthen the technical skills of law enforcement officers to conduct counter-terrorism investigations. 

The 3-week training took place between September 5th and 23rd at the premises of UNOCT’s Programme Office in Rabat thanks to the financial support of the Government of Australia, and in partnership with UNOCT’s Border Security Management (BSM) Team, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN), the National Police of Spain (CNP), The Royal Institute of Police of the Kingdom of Morocco (IRP), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

This Specialized Training on Counter-Terrorism Investigations was jointly developed by UNOCT’s Programme Office for Counter-Terrorism and Training in Africa and the Office’s Global Counter-Terrorism Investigations Programme in response to Member State demand for capacity-building assistance in the form of accredited training programs leveraging local, regional, and international expertise.

The STOCTI runs over a period of 10 weeks and includes 4 training modules. The Intermediate Module included, among others, subjects ranging from Border Security Checks; Crime Scene Management; Investigative Interviewing, digital evidence and forensic examination, and Financial Intelligence Analysis courses. 

The subjects focused on delivering a comprehensive overview on border security screening, technological tools, profiling, and risk assessments conducive to the design of better counter-terrorism responses to border security – threats in the West African region. The courses allowed trainees to develop an in-depth understanding of investigative interviewing and capacities for interactions between different agents and sources, enabling them to collect human intelligence, while facing diverse and complex sets of information and activities. 

The training also helped participants  expand on their existing understanding of the contribution of intelligence activities to counter-terrorism investigations. The Advanced Level training will take place between 21 November and 9 December 2022.