Let’s work together, police chief urges SAPCCO member states
Southern Africa Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) chairperson Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga has challenged member states to work together in fighting criminal syndicates that have adopted new strategies of committing crimes during this Covid-19 pandemic.
Comm-Gen Matanga said this during the SARPCCO Technical Organs virtual meeting in Harare yesterday.
ZRP CID director Commissioner Crispen Charumbira chairs SARPCCO technical organs.
“It is without doubt that in these unusual circumstances, criminals have seen a fertile opportunity and adopted new methods to commit crime, calling for renewed synergies and heightened solidarity among other member states to stem the tide of transnational organised crime,” he said.
He said without the full cooperation of every member state, the region could not be strong and it was for this reason that they took pride in being together as a united family and sharing a common citizenship as SADC.
“I remain cognisant of the fact that this meeting is a culmination of a series of efforts that seek to bring into sharp focus an integral dynamic in our survival and development as a region, namely peace and security as well as the necessary means to safeguard it,” Comm-Gen Matanga said.
He said technological advances posed threats to nations, regions and the globe, emanating from organised and emerging crimes, which are becoming more complex.
“You will agree with me that criminals are now operating in syndicated fashion and have developed complex networks across borders, perpetuating a wide range of illicit activities.
“Drawing insights from the recently held 2020 Regional Heads of National Central Bureaus (NCBs) virtual meeting coordinated by RB (regional bureau) Harare, the Covid-19 pandemic has ushered in new policing challenges that require serious responses if we are to protect citizens from the tide of criminality. As our governments continue to institute various measures to fight the pandemic, criminals have seen an opportunity to propagate their illicit activities,” he said.
Comm-Gen Matanga said a cocktail of preventive measures put in place to minimise contact during lockdowns in their member states had seen an increase in online money transfers as well as virtual shopping.
“Sadly, criminals have manipulated these developments to launch their attacks through hacking, phishing, identity theft, to mention just a few.
“I also wish to register concern regarding the increase of cases of drug trafficking, financial high tech crimes, intellectual property theft, human trafficking and violent crimes in the region as reflected by our Strategic Threat Assessment Report. Evidently, yesteryear policing paradigms have proved less effective in dealing with such organised criminal syndicates.”
