The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Lydia Yaako Donkor, has underscored the importance of firearm tracing in exposing criminal networks.

In a Facebook update, she said a single recovered firearm can reveal links to wider organised crime, trafficking networks, and cross-border threats.

She made the remarks at the 21st INTERPOL Heads of National Central Bureaus Conference held in Lyon, France, where she presented on the use of INTERPOL’s iARMS database in addressing firearm crimes in West Africa, with a focus on Ghana.

According to her, firearm crime is interconnected and not isolated, noting that Ghana’s use of the iARMS database demonstrates its value as an operational tool for tracing, intelligence development, and international cooperation.

She disclosed that between 2024 and the first quarter of 2026, Ghana conducted 5,251 searches on the iARMS platform, resulting in 80 hits, 66 of which were linked to the United States and connected to active investigations.

She said the figures show that properly tracing recovered firearms can generate actionable intelligence across borders.