U.S. Department of State

International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA)
Gaborone, Botswana

History

The effectiveness of the ILEAs in Bangkok and Budapest reinforced support for an academy to assist the law enforcement agencies of sub-Sahelian Africa. The ILEA Policy Board proposed creation of an ILEA that would focus on enhancing the effectiveness of regional cooperation against the principal transnational criminal trends in Africa - illicit drug trafficking, financial crimes, terrorism and alien smuggling. The ILEA would provide a core curriculum of management and technical instruction for criminal justice managers to develop effective law enforcement cooperation while enhancing each country's criminal justice institutions abilities to suppress transnational crime.

The government of the United States and the government of Botswana entered into negotiations in 1999 to establish an ILEA in Gaborone to promote international cooperation against crime. The ILEA in Gaborone would be organized to follow the curriculum model established by the existing regional ILEA’s in Hungary and Thailand.

On July 24, 2000, the governments of the United States and Botswana entered into an agreement for establishing an International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) that would provide training for middle managers from member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), East Africa and other eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Agreement established the ILEA and defined the objectives and management of the institution, as well as the roles and responsibilities of both countries in management and funding. The Agreement also created a Joint United States – Botswana Oversight Committee to oversee the policies and operation of the Academy. The Joint Committee meets at least twice a year and operates by consensus of the parties.

Staffing

The Government of Botswana provides a Managing Director, Managing Deputy Director, as well as the administrative and technical staff of the ILEA. A Program Director and two Deputy Program Directors are provided by the United States. Non-resident trainers from the United States and the host country provide instruction. The host government, the U.S. Embassy and U.S. law enforcement agencies provide other significant human, logistic and material support.

Operational Procedures

The ILEA Policy Board has designated the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) as the Lead Agency, to provide infrastructure and program support for this Academy. The Board provides overall policy guidance for the operation of the academy. The Department of State funds most of the training at the ILEA through the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL). Some specialized courses are funded by other United States Government (USG) agencies and/or foreign governments.

Courses are selected on the basis of needs assessments conducted by the USG to evaluate both the needs of the target nations and those of the USG. The ILEA program also relies for suggestions about useful training from the participating countries. The selection of courses is approved by the ILEA Steering Group. Currently, ILEA Gaborone conducts several six-week management course per year and approximately fifteen specialized courses – lasting one to two weeks – in a variety of criminal justice topics. Participants are nominated by all eligible African countries.

Initial offers of training to participating nations are made through the U.S. Embassies in the concerned countries. Participants nominated by these countries are vetted to ensure that attendees meet US requirements that exclude intelligence officers and known violators of human rights. The ILEA maintains an ever expanding list of alumni and engages in several activities to ensure that alumni obtain the maximum benefit from their training.

Facilities

The Academy initially offered courses using local conference facilities while the ILEA campus was under construction. A state-of-the-art campus was opened on March 15, 2003. The academy is located about 25 miles south of the city of Gaborone on the grounds of the Botswana National Police College. In addition to administrative offices there are several classrooms, a computer lab, and office space for instructors. Dormitory and recreation facilities are also on the site for course participants. Students currently eat all meals in the cafeteria used by the Police Academy, but plans are underway for a separate dining facility for the ILEA. An explosives range is also planned for the use of ILEA courses.

Overview of Programs

The core curriculum of ILEA Gaborone operates using the same model as the other ILEAs, providing courses on a wide range of law enforcement skills: counter-terrorism, forensics, basic case management, fighting organized crime, supervisory police training, police strategy, narcotics identification and evidence handling, customs interdiction, document fraud, illegal immigration, and public corruption, among others.

View the List of Courses.