South Africa will host regional police and security leaders in Pretoria on Thursday to strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking and transnational organised crime, with discussions set to include a proposed regional centre to improve intelligence-sharing and coordinate joint law enforcement operations.
The Ministerial Troika Meeting of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) - hosted by the South African Police Service - will be led by the Acting Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, accompanied by the Deputy Ministers of Police, Dr Polly Boshielo and Cassel Mathale.
They will be joined by the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Mozambique, Paulo Chachine; the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office of the Republic of Tanzania, Professor Palamagamba John Kabudi; the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, Juma Witonzo Kisekka, and the Secretary of State of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Angola, General Arnaldo Manuel Carlos.
The TPC is a multilateral initiative established in Maputo, Mozambique, by ministers responsible for policing in South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
“The initiative seeks to address the flow of illicit drugs along the Southern Route through strengthened regional cooperation, intelligence-sharing and coordinated law enforcement efforts,” the police said in a statement.
The meeting will be held under the theme: “Strengthening Transnational Coordination to Better Identify External Factors Contributing to Organised Crime in the Trilateral States”. It will bring together key regional and international stakeholders to discuss collaborative strategies to combat drug trafficking and transnational organised crime.
“Discussions will also focus on a proposed joint initiative to establish a Regional Joint Counter-Narcotics and Organised Crime Fusion Centre.
“The proposed centre aims to strengthen information sharing, intelligence coordination and joint responses to organised criminal networks operating across borders,” the police said. – SAnews.gov.za
