REGIONAL POLICE CO-OPERATION: COMBATING CROSS-BORDER CRIME IN EAST AFRICA

by Leo Odera Omolo

The Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community emphasizes peace, security and good neighbourliness as the cornerstones of the regional integration and development process. The EAC Strategy calls for collective responsibility in the maintenance of regional peace and security, hence the Partner States collaborate in combating cross border crime.

Regular meetings of the Chiefs of Police of the EAC Partner States and the Inter-State Security Committee (the latter comprising of Police technical and operational personnel) are held to undertake constant review and implementation of measures in combating crime and maintaining peace and security in the region. The law enforcement agencies have adopted as their Vision, “a secure and peaceful environment for development” and as their Mission , “to provide security within the region through enhanced co-operation”.

Among their activities, the Chiefs of Police of the EAC Partner States exchange criminal intelligence and other security information, involving operation of databases and sharing criminal intelligence, using advanced ICT, radio communications, among other advanced technologies. The Police co-operation is geared to mobilize joint operations, patrols and overall vigilance in cross border monitoring and prevention of crime, including “hot pursuit” of criminals. In particular, the Police co-operation would install common communications facilities and systems for border and interstate security and, to this extent, constantly scale up connectivity of the existing Police operation systems through linking up the Partner States’ Police Headquarters by telecommunications and Internet systems.

Not only co-operation in the operations, but also co-operation in the exchange of visits and training programmes and other confidence building measures among the Police Chiefs and rank and file. These measures are intended to contribute to benefiting from each other in developing best practices and achievement of the highest standards for effective performance in meeting the challenges of combating crime. Specifically, in combating Illicit Drug Trafficking, money laundering, cattle rustling, in the management of refugees and asylum seekers, and tracking of criminals, the EAC Partner States are applying relevant EAC Protocols and international conventions to strengthen existing institutions and establish co-ordination among them as well as sensitizing communities on the dangers, futility and, on the whole, inadmissibility of crime in society, let alone in the development of the Community.

Similar co-operation is pursued with respect to disaster early warning, management and prevention, including establishment of disaster management centres in the Partner States that would involve rapid response as well as harness regional response in the events of disaster; and in combating terrorism, having regard to the global nature and response to the terrorist threat. On the measures to combat proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons, the measures include well elaborated International and Regional Instruments by which the Partner States establish high preparedness in dealing with the menace.

During the last High Level Meeting of the East African Community Chiefs of Police, which was held in Arusha on 29 June 2007, the EAC Chiefs of Police reaffirmed the commitment to ensure peace and security in the East African region and considered the wide range of regional peace and security issues, as well as effective measures to combat crime in the region. The Meeting was attended by Maj. Gen Mohamed Ali, Commissioner of Police of the Republic of Kenya , Mr. Saidi Mwema, Inspector General of Police of the United Republic of Tanzania and Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, Inspector General of Police of the Republic of Uganda .

The Meeting made several recommendations in further enhancing regional co-operation in combating crime, in particular, measures to establish a Police Liaison Office at the EAC Secretariat, an EAC Ministerial Sectoral Council on Interstate Security; harmonize the issuance of computerized National Identity Cards in the EAC Partner States that would streamline free movement of persons in the region; and, on the whole, measures to protect East Africans as well as visitors as they go about their lawful business within the vast EAC region.

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