adminArron Nyamayaro in Dar es Salaam
SOUTHERN Africa continues to experience sophisticated forms of crime, Interpol Regional Head, Sello Moerane, has said.
Officially opening the 11th edition of the SARPCCO Games here on Saturday, Moerane said the games were more than just a sports festival.
Moerane hailed Tanzania for volunteering to host the SARPCCO Games, in a virtual meeting, in 2020.
“They promote healthy living and physical fitness among police officers in the region.
“Sport has proven to be a weapon of social cohesion, superseding racial, cultural and religious divides.
“The Interpol Regional Bureau for Southern Africa/SARPCCO Coordination Office warmly embraces this event and the value it contributes to regional police co-operation and collaboration,” Moerane said.
He urged participants to share best practices with their colleagues across the borders on issues to do with transnational organised and emerging crimes in the region.
“The assembly today celebrates the collective wisdom of our Chiefs of Police, who decided that regional police co-operation can be achieved, through a myriad of approaches, among them sport,” he said.
SARPCCO chairperson, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, reminded participants that the games were created to create tight networks which assists them in their day-to-day activities in the fight against transnational organised and emerging crimes.
“As much as we are here for sports, we should not forget our main functions and duties as police officers.
“We are the operations on the ground and need such friendships to be created.
“Criminal syndicates have always worked to ensure they evade police detection and subsequent arrest and prosecution.
“As SARPCCO, we shall never relent in our efforts to ensure that we get rid of these criminal elements in our region through devising well-informed policing strategies, crafting responsive interventions and conducting intelligence-led operations,” said Lt Gen Shikongo.
Online Reporter