When Police Cooperate, Criminals Lose Advantage Of Borders – CID Boss
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service and Member of the INTERPOL Africa Committee, Commissioner of Police Ms Lydia Yaako Donkor, says international police cooperation is proving decisive in disrupting transnational criminal networks and protecting vulnerable victims.
She was speaking on the occasion of the United Nations International Day of Police Cooperation, marked on September 7, 2026, on the theme “Protecting Against Vulnerability; Building Trust and Legitimacy in Policing.”
COP Donkor said the nature of crime has changed dramatically, and as criminal networks become more international, police cooperation must become more global.
She noted that Ghana has been a member of INTERPOL since 1958, and its INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Accra facilitates cooperation across the global law enforcement network.
Citing evidence of what such cooperation can achieve, she said Ghana’s participation in Operation Contender 3.0, an INTERPOL-coordinated operation against romance scams and sextortion held in August 2025 simultaneously across 14 African countries, led to the arrest of 68 suspects, seizure of 835 electronic devices and identification of 108 victims.
Investigations established financial losses of approximately US$450,000, out of which about US$70,000 was recovered.
She also referenced Operation Sentinel, another INTERPOL-coordinated cybercrime operation held simultaneously across 19 African countries between October and November 2025, which led to the identification of the ransomware strain used in an attack on a Ghanaian institution from which over US$120,000 was stolen.
Nearly 30 terabytes of data were recovered, and the perpetrators were arrested.
According to her, the figures represent businesses protected, savings recovered, digital infrastructure secured and criminal networks disrupted, adding that behind the figures were real victims whose trust had been manipulated through fake identities, stolen photographs, fraudulent relationships and threats of exposure.
“The outcome of these operations testifies that international cooperation does not simply exchange information; but when properly used, information becomes intelligence; intelligence becomes action; and action can protect victims and recover their money,” she said.
On protecting the vulnerable, COP Donkor disclosed that in January 2026, collaboration with Australian authorities led to the arrest of three suspects and the rescue of four Ghanaian children between six and thirteen years of age in the Ashanti and Bono Regions.
“What price do we place on restoring a child’s safety, dignity and future? The value of rescuing a six-year-old child from exploitation is priceless. That is precisely why international police cooperation matters,” she said.
She said the same principle applies in the fight against other transnational organised crimes such as vehicle crimes and firearms smuggling.
“As criminals attempt to exploit borders, law enforcement must continue to build bridges across them. On this International Day of Police Cooperation, therefore, Ghana’s message is clear: Our cooperation must not be limited by our borders,” she stated.
COP Donkor affirmed that the Ghana Police Service, through the CID and INTERPOL National Central Bureau Accra, remains committed to working with INTERPOL, African partners and law enforcement agencies across the world to protect victims, disrupt criminal networks, recover criminal assets, pursue fugitives and build safer communities.
“Because 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. And when policing is professional, accountable and trusted, our communities become stronger,” she said.
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