Shikongo calls for Interpol’s help to fight cross-border crime

Recognising that crime is not an exclusive national affair any more, Namibia Police inspector general Joseph Shikongo is advocating the creation of smart and implementable strategies to counteract syndicates and criminal networks.

He appealed to all Interpol national central bureaus to increase their level of coordination among southern African police forces.

“Given the cross-border nature of organised crime, I would like to call upon all Interpol [bureaus] to continue working together to increase the level of coordination among police forces and services in the region,” Shikongo said.

He said this at the conclusion of the 28th annual general meeting of the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) last week.

Shikongo said it is within the spirit of collaboration that regional networks of law enforcement will help the region stand against criminals who exploit the growing complexities of the region’s operational environment.

He, however, stressed that international police cooperation is a work in progress, and that implementing the decisions made at the meeting would enable the members to jointly overcome the challenges and complexities the region faces.

He further said unity among the police forces is key to enhancing security and reducing criminality in the region. He was responding to the acting director of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs, representing executive secretary of SADC Kealeboga Moruti, who said that southern Africa’s efforts to combat transnational organised crime are being undercut by a lack of cooperation and coordination among its member states and differing law enforcement agencies, calling the envisioned cooperation “fragmented”.

Interpol secretary general Jürgen Stock echoed Shikongo’s sentiment: “We are policing a criminal landscape that is borderless, hence my clarion call for enhancing cooperation among law enforcement agencies in the region and beyond.”

This call for unity comes in the light of a worrying regional crime threat assessment for SADC that included trafficking of illicit arms and explosives, cash-in-transit heists, trafficking in illicit drugs and cybercrime, among others.

Highlighting the importance of Interpol’s tools, Stock reported that the agency’s global databases contained approximately 127 million records.

“So far this year, more than 1,3 billion checks have been carried out, resulting in some 283 000 hits. Each hit being a potential break in an investigation,” he added.

However, he lamented the underutilisation of Interpol’s digital policing tools in southern Africa. In response to this challenge, Interpol, through its regional bureau in Harare, conducted over 15 training programmes in the region, aimed at enhancing capacity building for law enforcement agents.

Interpol’s ongoing Africa joint operation against cybercrime was also highlighted as a significant initiative in countering the cyber threats that continue to impact the region negatively.