Central African Countries More United in Fighting Crime

Ministers in charge of Security and Police Chiefs from the Central African Sub-region recently adopted a common strategy to fight crime.

Ministers in charge of Security and Police Chiefs in the Centre African Sub-region recently met in Yaounde-Cameroon, to set more solid bases for cooperation and joint operations to fight crime and insecurity that are deep rooted and getting sophisticated in the sub-region. The officials used
the ninth session of the Central Africa Ministers Forum in charge of Security and also the ninth meeting of the Central Africa Police Chief’s Committee (CAPCCO) to take greater commitments to fight crime that has put the economic and social development of the sub-region in jeopardy.

Cameroon’s Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency, Laurent Esso, opened the Minister’s forum and the Police Chiefs Committee session. Prior to the meeting of the Police Chiefs, experts met earlier within the framework of the Technical Sub-committee, Technical Commission of Directors of Judicial Police and the Heads of the National Central Bureaux of the International Criminal Organisation (ICPOINERPOL) to prepare recommendations. Recommendations which the Police Chiefs finally presented to Ministers in charge of Security for
policy and action, took into consideration the magnitude of crime and insecurity in the sub-region.

The different forms of crime which are widespread in the region include; cross-border crime, trafficking in women and children, parts of human body, ivory as well as drugs, armed-robbery, and car-theft and cyber crime.
In order to check crime the Ministers and Police Chiefs decided that prior to issuing a vehicle
registration number, officials will make attestation stipulating that a second hand motor vehicle imported in Central Africa sub-region does not feature in INTERPOL database on stolen vehicles. They also decided on the organization by the INTERPOL sub-regional bureau, in partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency, of a training course designed to equip police investigations of the sub-region with techniques in the fight against trafficking in nuclear and radioactive substances; set up a technical Commission of Director in charge of border issues and integration in Central Africa.

The Yaounde meeting also recommended countries of the region to include, in their national budget, funding of CAPCCO operational activities, the effective opening of the Yaounde Training Centre specialised in criminal investigations with suitable training programmes to be drawn up for Frontier police officers, the recruitment of police staff for the Yaounde Sub-regional bureau, as soon as it is officially opened by member countries of CAPCCO amongst others.

Courtesy - Harry Ndienla Yemti