E/CN.4/2004/76/Add.3 page 9 28. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur gathered a great deal of information about how traffickers bribe certain public officials, particularly police officers. According to that information, the organizers of migrant trafficking bribe police officers, who are not well paid, to release migrants who are apprehended, in the event of their arrest, or not to take them to the police station. The borders between Algeria and Morocco appear to be even more porous, because the police of the two countries allegedly facilitate irregular crossings in exchange for payment. 29. Added to this is the tense situation prevailing in and around the two Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. One of the points of departure for Europe is Tetouan, a town where, like Tangier, there are organized networks for travel to Europe. Tetouan is a destination for migrants because of its proximity to Ceuta. There is an agreement on the free movement of people between Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the Moroccan provinces close to Nador and Tetouan. This open border produces a daily flow of around 40,000 persons, which encourages migrants from other African countries to try to slip through. However, this route to Europe has been partially blocked by the erection of a galvanized steel fence with electronic devices that can detect the presence of human beings. According to information received by the local authorities, in the first nine months of 2003, in the Wilaya of Tetouan there were 3,350 prospective irregular emigrants, of whom 2,507 were Moroccans.1 The Government has plans for development schemes for the northern region of Morocco, the area from which most irregular Moroccan migrants who attempt the journey to Europe come. The Special Rapporteur was told about the creation of the Northern Region Development Agency, the object of which is to revive the economy and to combat trafficking in migrants and traffic in persons by creating an important centre for investment and job creation and promoting training and education in order to bring human resources up to standard. 30. Tangier is another point of departure for irregular emigration bound for Europe. The local and police authorities that the Special Rapporteur met told her that the Moroccan Royal Navy, the gendarmerie and the security forces were making a concerted effort to combat irregular migration. Reports indicate that in 2002 a total of 60 networks were dismantled and 195 organizers of crossings were arrested. During the first nine months of 2003, a total of 30 networks were reportedly dismantled and 99 arrests were made. The persons arrested were reportedly Moroccan nationals and persons from sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria. Efforts are nevertheless circumscribed by the shortage of available resources. The Tangier authorities drew attention to the need for funding to train police forces and improve their equipment. 31. The Special Rapporteur visited the port, where she was able to see the efforts by the authorities to check passengers boarding ferries bound for Tarifa or Algeciras. However, it is very difficult, given the shortage of resources and technology, to control the hundreds of roadsteads and coves along the Moroccan coastline. The Special Rapporteur also met the families of victims of irregular immigration who had travelled in pateras. Some families have set up associations to alert young persons to the dangers of irregular migration, to help prospective emigrants to return to their country and integrate into working life, and to act as the plaintiff in proceedings against any person directly or indirectly involved in the soliciting and promotion of irregular immigration.