iARMS

Research on global distribution of firearms have shown that a total of 875 million firearms- generally the only category of weapons not falling under Government monopoly of possession and use – are in private hands (Small Arms Survey 2007). Only 59% of these are legal.

Illicit firearms and small arms and light weapons (SALW) continue to contribute to instability and violence worldwide, as confirmed by the 2016 report of the United Nations Secretary-General on illicit trade in SALW, which states that the number of civil wars has tripled over the last decade and armed conflict often fuelled by the proliferation of SALW deprives almost 800 million people of sufficient food.

The availability of illicit firearms in circulation calls for enhanced international cooperation in the investigation and tracing of illicit firearms. INTERPOL’s Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System, or iARMS is a state-of-the art tool that facilitates information exchange and investigative cooperation between law enforcement agencies in relation to the international movement of illicit firearms, as well as licit firearms that have been involved in the commission of a crime.

Launched in 2013 with the support of the European Union, it is available to all 194 INTERPOL Member States and used by 175 countries worldwide to record illicit firearms and trace seized/recovered firearms to identify the moment when and where they have been diverted into illegal possession.

Currently in its fourth phase, the iARMS project, seeks to further expand the iARMS network with a focus in Africa, Central and South America and the Western Balkans by:

1. Promoting the use of the iARMS by providing related capacity building, training, criminal intelligence and analytical services that will contribute to curbing the illicit accumulation and trafficking of firearms.
2. Promoting the use of iARMS database in Law Enforcement field operations and to improve data and intelligence sharing among Law Enforcement Agencies globally on known illicit firearms.
3. Enhancing interaction with other regional and international organizations, and INTERPOL Policing Capabilities.
4. Enhancing iARMS system to support inter-operability with national and international firearms records and tracing systems.

iARMS is implemented by INTERPOL.