SENIOR Police Superintendent Edmond Cooper recently represented Guyana at the 19th United Nations’ Asia and Far East Institute and United Nations’ Convention Against Corruption training programme, held from October 12th to November 16, 2016 at the Japan International Co-operation Agency in Tokyo, Japan.

The programme saw involvement of 27 countries, and among the participants were judges, lawyers, prosecutors, investigators, and senior police officers.

According to the Guyana Police Force, with the global fight against corruption in the criminal justice system, such a course has been very instrumental in the prosecution of corruption in public procurement.

“This course aimed to enhance the participants’ knowledge of measures to improve the current corruption situation in each country through lectures, best practices and discussions,” the GPF said in a release.

The areas that were analysed include the current situation and issues in the participating countries’ current anti-corruption enforcement; sharing recent international trends in Japan’s experiences with anti-corruption enforcement; discussion of effective counter-measures to address issues in the respective countries concerning anti-corruption enforcement; and sharing recommendations for anti-corruption enforcement and establishing a global network.

It was established that corruption is a major problem in all countries, whether developed or developing, and must be tackled holistically and expeditiously with the power of those in authority.

The knowledge gained at this engagement would help investigators and prosecutors to better handle cases of corruption in public procurement.

Senior Superintendent Cooper returned from this engagement with two certificates, earned in the process of participation.