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

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and for training and education programmes designed to ensure they are
used effectively. It is also important to put procedures in place to validate
tracing data at the outset. These may involve the use of computer validation
software, restrictions on which personnel enter the data, or adherence to
strict protocols for how data is entered.
Furthermore, effective tracing requires the development of contacts
and cooperative partnerships. At the national level, relevant actors include
national, provincial and local law enforcement agencies, different branches
of law enforcement, and also tracing organizations, manufacturers,
importers, and dealers. The cooperation of other stakeholders, including
relevant NGOs and civil society groups, is often equally important to
effective crime prevention and law enforcement. The development of
contacts and cooperative partnerships at the regional and global levels is no
less essential to successful tracing. 39
1.5.3 Weapons Tracing in the Context of Illicit Arms Trafficking to
Conflict-Prone Regions and War Zones
Illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition to conflict-prone regions and
war zones is no less illegal than that which has criminals or terrorists as
intended recipients. In practice, there is often substantial overlap between
these classes of activities, as is clear from the experience of countries such
as Colombia. Thus, law enforcement agencies, including the police, play a
legitimate and central role in combating and preventing arms trafficking to
or through conflict zones, and virtually all of the discussion of tracing
mechanisms in the previous section applies here as well.
Nevertheless, illicit arms trafficking to conflict zones has its own
characteristics, with implications for tracing cooperation. First, transnational
supply lines tend to be longer and more complex. In many cases, greater
efforts are made to disguise these through the use of brokers, front
companies, and “grey-market” transfers in which governments may be
implicated. Second, the role of intermediaries, including brokers, dealers
and transport agents, is often a critical element in such trafficking. Third, the
quantity of arms (usually military-style) contained in these shipments tends
to be much larger, and is usually sourced (diverted) from military and other
official stockpiles, or from ex-military surplus stocks. Given these
characteristics, customs services, military police and intelligence services