organised with the technical and financial support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, from 15 to 17 October, 2014 at Atakpamé and it paved the way for a review of the relations between the police and security agencies and the population as a whole. 38. The recommendations emerging from this workshop led to the holding of briefing and awareness-raising sessions among the police including the Prefects from 17 to 28 August, 2015 across the entire country to mark the actual take-off of the communitybased policing. By this project, the government intends to ensure the security of persons and property in a more effective and participatory manner. 39. Meanwhile, it is also important to draw attention to special operations which contribute to the security of persons and property. They include the operations codenamed “Araignée” and “Entonnoir”. The focus of the former is to ensure surveillance of public places. It is against this background that one must view the joint daily patrols between the various components of the security agencies. 40. Hotlines for alerting the security agencies have been made available to the population for any emergencies. They include the following numbers: 117 for the police, 172 for gendarmerie emergency, 171 for the armed forces and 115 for all the forces depending on the individual’s location. Discussions are currently on-going with telephone companies and the regulatory authority to rectify the challenges faced in the implementation of number 115. 41. The second operation has been dedicated to combating smuggling of illicit petroleum products, the consequences of which are incalculable socially and economically. For instance, in 2014, 315.071 litres of illicit fuel products kept in residential houses were seized as part of this operation by the defence and security forces, which action helped to avoid disasters among the population. 42. With regard to repressive measures, they consist of taking action once an offence has been committed, however the level of its seriousness. They mainly include establishing whether an offence has been committed, identifying perpetrators and arraigning them before the courts, etc. To this end, the security agencies, apart from the skills of judicial police officers which fall within the purview of police and gendarmerie units, have specialised structures in the search and crackdown on crime in its broadest sense, except for those engaged in maintaining peace and order. 43. They include, among others, Intelligence and Investigation Services (SRI) and sections of regional intelligence at the gendarmerie and the central directorate of the judicial police (DCPJ), Anti-Crime Brigades (BAC) and Intelligence and Investigation Brigades (BRI) concerning the national police. These units consist of 22