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WAPIS strengthens the exchange of police information in West Africa, whose geographical location makes it attractive to criminals. Many of the 16 countries in West Africa sit on the Atlantic Ocean, making the region especially attractive to criminals as a transit hub between Africa, Europe and the Americas. Improving security in West Africa is therefore of global interest, and essential in order to combat the crimes currently affecting the region such as drug trafficking, people smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism. The West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) Programme is implemented by INTERPOL with funding from the European Union. Its aim is to strengthen information exchange and coordination among the region’s law enforcement agencies in the following ways: Enable police officers in West African countries to access critical police information from their national criminal databases and from databases of countries across the region, thus improving the identification of criminals and supporting ongoing investigations. Improve analysis of the problems of transnational organized crime and terrorism facing the region and allow a better understanding of crime originating in, coming from and transiting through West Africa. Allow greater police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters within the region, the European Union and the rest of the world. The programme supports the efforts of national authorities and ECOWAS in improving the security of citizens in West Africa and is being implemented at three levels: national, regional and global.