Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Police chiefs from across Southern Africa have agreed on a renewed plan to confront transnational organised crime following a two-day meeting held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The gathering, hosted from 5–6 June 2025, brought together top law enforcement heads under the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO), which operates as a sub-committee of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This year’s session was chaired by Tanzania’s Inspector General of Police, Camillus Wambura.
The summit focused on mounting concerns over rising cases of cybercrime, human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, stock theft, drug trafficking, motor vehicle theft, and the illicit trade in small arms. Delegates discussed how these crimes, often committed across borders, are straining national policing efforts and threatening regional security.
Tanzania’s Minister of Home Affairs, Innocent L. Bashungwa, told the gathering that although the region remains relatively stable, organised criminal networks are growing more sophisticated. He called on member states to invest in advanced technology and intelligence systems to match the evolving nature of security threats.
Representatives from international policing bodies, including INTERPOL and the African Union’s police coordination unit AFRIPOL, added their voices, urging closer collaboration. Mr Sello Moerane from INTERPOL’s Harare office and Dr Mohamed Bernaired representing AFRIPOL both supported the idea of joint operations and shared databases as practical ways to counter cross-border criminal syndicates.
SADC’s Secretariat, represented by Professor Kula Ishmael Theletsane, backed the move, saying the initiative aligns with the bloc’s Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020–2030), which sees peace and security as critical pillars of integration and development.
The meeting concluded with a strong call for member states to scale up joint operations, improve real-time intelligence exchange, and align domestic laws with regional instruments such as the SADC Protocol on the Control of Firearms and the Protocol on Combating Illicit Drugs.
A ceremonial handover of leadership also took place, with Tanzania’s IGP Wambura passing the SARPCCO chairpersonship to Malawi’s Inspector General of Police, Mrs Merlyne Yolamu.
Eswatini’s police officials, who were present at the meeting, are expected to implement the resolutions locally as part of the region-wide effort to disrupt organised criminal networks operating across borders.
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