The Scope and Implications of a Tracing Mechanism for Small Arms ...

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The various regions of the world have very different needs when it
comes to transparency and protecting national and regional security
interests. Intra-EU weapon transfers, for example, are likely to be fully
transparent whereas individual EU transfers to third countries may not. It
would be unrealistic to expect countries to agree to one universal, global
transactions database listing all transfers and transactions of military small
arms and light weapons involving States (as either the buyer or vendor) that
goes beyond the current disclosure system within the UN Register on
Conventional Arms. However, countries may be more prepared to disclose
greater detail to a regional database that meets the individual needs for
promoting security and stability in that region, for example the SADC
Protocol.
However, as previously mentioned in this paper, information
concerning transfers or transactions, which subsequently lead to diversion
and illicit trafficking, should be disseminated to the relevant police,
customs, military and intelligence authorities worldwide, potentially via
Interpol, to enable recovery of the weapons should they subsequently
appear in another transfer or national record-keeping system. Such
weapons are effectively ”the proceeds of crime” or “stolen goods” and can
be circulated via an Interpol Orange Notice or included on IWETS.
Similarly, details of the people, businesses, and end-users concerned in
transactions that lead to trafficking, should be shared amongst the
authorities to look out for their involvement in any subsequent transfer as a
signal indicating another potentially suspicious transaction.
3.13 CONFIDENTIALITY WHEN TRACING MILITARY SMALL ARMS
Depending on the number of jurisdictions involved and the cultural
and political disposition of each, tracing enquiries may be routed first
through confidential intelligence channels to find the evidence, and a point
where overt investigative activity can begin, before a police or customs
authority becomes involved. There are a small number of countries which
would prefer not to reveal that they have cooperated in a tracing enquiry
and law enforcement, intelligence and security agencies have well
established procedures for protecting such sources. In these cases, police or
customs will be directed to begin their investigations at a particular point
that is sufficiently removed from the original source to protect them, but still