The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Daniel Kashikola, says the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Coordination Organisation (SARPCCO) has made significate headway towards strengthening cooperation and fostering joint strategies in the management of all forms of cross border and related crimes.
He was speaking at the official opening of the Hybrid Extra Ordinary Meeting of the Public Sub-Committee/SARPCCO of the Inter-State Defence and Safety Committee in Windhoek on Thursday.
“These cross-border crimes have regional implications, hence cooperation and joint engagement provide necessary virtues for the growth of a knowledge base that facilitates the formation and development of effective interventions to combat cross-border crimes,” he said.
The deputy minister added that such meetings give the regional leaders and citizens assurance that law enforcement service providers are committed to peace, security and stability in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Kashikola, who was speaking on behalf of Inspector General Joseph Shikongo, commended SARPCCO member states for their achievements and noted that the election of Deputy Inspector General Major General Anna-Marie Nainda as the first female African Delegate for Africa and member of the Interpol Executive Committee was one such achievement.
“The mutual understanding of member states in their quest to rid the region of crime in all forms and manifestations is evident. The continued interactions have led to several successful regional joint simultaneous operations. These joint undertakings underscore the broader objective of SADC of cooperation and regional integration,” the deputy minister said.
He cautioned that the region faces a lot of challenges in terms of safety and security, hence his call for the regional police chiefs to continue consulting to address issues of mutual concern for the benefit of safety and security in SADC and beyond.
Speaking at the same event, SARPCCO Coordinator and Head of the Interpol Regional Bureau for Southern Africa, Sello Moerane said the organisation was now in a position to identify threat actors both individually and collectively due to the development of a regional threat assessment exercise.
“This provided the secretariat with a lot of insight and this has helped us deal with transnational threats much better. We now know how they demonstrated their capabilities to overcome obstacles and see opportunity in perusing their illicit activities,” he said.
Moerane called on SADC national police agencies to act quickly and decipher the complex dynamics involving criminal networks and develop a mechanism that will counter this scourge through relevant strategies.
The meeting kicked off on 31 October and is expected to end on 04 November.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
