The Central African Republic today marked the establishment of its first integrated criminal database, supported by the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The ceremony, attended by HE President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, highlighted national efforts to modernize policing, strengthen criminal investigations and consolidate security gains.
This database is designed to improve information-sharing, identify crime trends and support coordinated responses, including to cross-border criminal threats.
“Investments in capacity-building aim to ensure the gradual and effective autonomy of the institutions being strengthened,” said Valentine Rugwabiza, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINUSCA. She stressed that equipping national institutions to progressively assume greater responsibilities was essential to sustaining security gains and protecting civilians.
The Minister of the Interior and Public Security, General Bienvenu Zokoué, welcomed the initiative as an important step towards strengthening national security institutions and their ability to respond to the population’s needs. “Together, with the support of our partners, let us make these new tools effective instruments for the security, peace and stability of our country,” the Minister said.
The UNODC Country Representative, Kameldy Neldjingaye, emphasized that effective use of the database would require sustained cooperation among security, investigation and justice institutions. “Technology alone is not enough. The true value of this tool will lie in how national institutions use it, in accordance with established procedures, the confidentiality of information and the safeguards provided by national law,” the representative said.
Ms. Rugwabiza called for qualified and stable staffing, dedicated national funding for operations and maintenance, and sustained connectivity. She stressed that services must contribute information within a framework protecting personal data and individual rights.
MINUSCA financed the construction of the center, equipment and servers, while UNODC provided technical expertise, training and support for connectivity. The Government provided the land and additional works.
The next steps include extending the system to the judicial police and the gendarmerie’s investigations service, establishing reliable data backups and progressively deploying it across the regions. MINUSCA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting this process and encouraged other partners to contribute.