Zambia hosts the 29th SARPCCO Annual General Meeting in Lusaka
Zambia’s Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Honorable Jack Jacob Mwiimbu SC has called upon Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states to fight transnational organized crime by forming a formidable force. Speaking this morning during the official opening of the 29th annual general meeting of the SADC chiefs of police sub-committee/SARPCCO of the inter-state defence and security committee (ISDSC) at Mulungushi international conference Centre in Lusaka, Honourable Mwiimbu emphased the importance of regional collaboration in fighting transnational organised crimes.
“we must continuously evaluate our strategies, adopt new technologies, and strengthen our partnerships to stay ahead of those who seek to disrupt our peace and security,” Mr Mwiimbu said.
The Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister urged Southern Africa Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) member states to expedite the domestication of the SADC integrated strategy to prevent and combat transnational organised crime.
Mr. Mwiimbu observed that transnational organized crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking, drug smuggling, and cybercrime which poses threat to the region can only be tackled through regional collaboration.
Meanwhile the current SARPCCO Chairperson and Inspector General of the Zambia Police Service Graphel Musamba officially handed over the SARPCCO sword of honour to his Tanzanian counterpart Mr. Camillus Wambura.
Speaking earlier, outgoing SARPCCO Chairperson and Inspector General of the Zambia Police Service Graphel Musamba called upon member states to strengthen efforts to mobilize resources for the implementation of the strategy and the action plan by engaging and bringing onboard private sector and international cooperation partners.
Mr Musamba urged member states to conduct national organised crime threat assessments to understand the dynamics of organized crime including trends, perpetrators and their networks of supporters, victims, and other strategic information.
SADC Director of The Organ on Politics, Defence And Security Affairs Professor Kula Ishmael Theletsane said the region needs to adopt a people-centric, inter-disciplinary and multidimensional response to transnational organized crime.
He said there is need to take strategic, coordinated, and collective action against this scourge predicated on sound inter-agency cooperation at national and intergovernmental levels.
And INTERPOL Secretary General Dr Jurgen Stock in a speech read on his behalf by Head of INTERPOL Regional Bureau Harare for Southern Africa Mr. Sello Moerane said INTERPOL’s Vision is to move forward on identifying how to leverage technology to meet member countries’ evolving needs amidst the global crime landscape dynamics.
The chairperson of SARPCCO is on a rotation one year term with the current TROIKA being Namibia, Zambia and Tanzania.
