Harare, (New Ziana) – Police chiefs from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to chart strategies to strengthen the fight against organised transnational crime across the region.
The annual Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) conference, which began on Tuesday and ends on Saturday, brings together police chiefs and security experts from across the region to deliberate on coordinated measures aimed at preventing and responding to increasingly sophisticated cross-border criminal activities.
In a statement on its X platform, SADC said the meeting seeks to formulate comprehensive strategies to curb organised crime and enhance regional security cooperation.
“The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chiefs of Police Sub-Committee/Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) are scheduled to meet for their annual general meeting in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania from 2 to 6 June 2025. The meeting aims to deliberate on and formulate comprehensive strategies to prevent and effectively respond to transnational organised crime,” the regional bloc said.
It noted that the conference is being held in line with the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (2020–2030), which prioritises the strengthening of regional frameworks to prevent and combat organised crime.
Key issues on the agenda include drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, motor vehicle theft, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, stock theft, money laundering and cybercrime. These crimes continue to pose significant threats to the region’s security, economic growth and social development.
Delegates will also review recommendations from the recent SARPCCO Technical Organs meeting held in Dar es Salaam from April 28 to 30 last year, which focused on enhancing regional law enforcement cooperation and operational effectiveness.
The conference is being chaired by Tanzania Police Force Inspector General Camillus Wambura, who is expected to hand over the leadership of the organisation to Malawi Police Service Inspector General Mrs Merlyne Yolamu at the end of his one-year term.
Ahead of the main conference, meetings of the Heads of INTERPOL National Central Bureaus for Southern Africa and various SARPCCO technical organs were convened.
These included the Permanent Coordinating Sub-Committee, comprising Directors of Criminal Investigations, as well as the Legal, Women’s Network and Training sub-committees.
SADC said the annual gathering highlights the commitment of the region to strengthening cooperation among law enforcement agencies in confronting evolving security threats and dismantling organised criminal networks that operate across national borders.
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