Southern African Police Chiefs Emphasize Education and Cooperation to Combat Transnational Crime
Inspector General of Police Graphel Musamba stressed the importance of well-informed and educated police officers in the fight against crime.
In a statement issued by Zambia Police Public Relations Unit, Mr. Musamba made these remarks during the 4th graduation ceremony of police officers at the SARPCCO Center of Excellence in Harare, Republic of Zimbabwe.
Mr. Musamba, who also serves as the Chairperson of the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (SARPCCO), couldn’t be present in person, so his speech was read by Deputy Inspector General of Police In-Charge of Operations, Milner Muyambango.
He highlighted the growing challenge of transnational organized crime in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. Criminals are becoming more skilled and crossing national borders to commit crimes, making it difficult to combat crime on a country-by-country basis.
Mr. Musamba emphasized the importance of cooperation among SARPCCO and other international police organizations in addressing this issue.
The Chairperson of SARPCCO stressed the need for regional cooperation to combat these well-organized and sophisticated criminals. He encouraged the 20 newly graduated police officers, 11 of whom were female, to apply the knowledge and skills they acquired at the School of Excellence.
Mr. Musamba explained that the establishment of the SARPCCO Center of Excellence was a response to the realization of the importance of sharing regional knowledge systems to prepare the SADC region for fighting crime effectively.
At the same event, Ndadakunashe Shava, the Interim Principal of the SARPCCO Center of Excellence, confirmed that the 20 police officers were now equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools to assist their respective countries in combating cross-border crimes.
The regional Center of Excellence, situated at the INTERPOL Regional Bureau in Harare, offers a one-year diploma course in Strategic Management and Leadership.
This initiative was launched following discussions among police chiefs in the region during the 2013 Regional Police Chiefs conference in Dar-es-Salaam, Republic of Tanzania.
The academy officially opened in Harare, Republic of Zimbabwe, in 2015 and has been training officers to combat transnational crime effectively. The 4th intake of students included police officers from the Kingdom of Eswatini, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, with three lecturers from the Zambia Police Service.
Since its inception, the academy has graduated a total of 90 police officers who are now better equipped to address the challenges posed by transnational organized crime.
