Bukoba — TANZANIA
and Uganda have unanimously agreed to jointly fight cross-border crimes
for the safety and security of...
their respective citizens, Commissioner
of Police (CP), Charles Mkumbo, has disclosed.
Commissioner Mkumbo
disclosed the initiative yesterday on behalf of the Inspector General
of Police (IGP), Simon Sirro, while opening a bilateral meeting which
was attended by senior police officers from both countries held in
Bukoba Municipal Council.
"Concerted efforts
are needed in combating cross-border crimes, including terrorism, drug
trafficking, illegal immigrants and armed robberies, especially along
Lake Victoria," he said, adding that the two sides focused on
strategizing on cross-border policing matters.
He also emphasized on establishment of standard operating procedures for joint operations.
"As the police, we
have to be the face of our countries for our people to live happily. So,
what our people need are not mere words, but action," he said, adding
that the modern security challenges demands opening of doors for strong
bilateral and multilateral police cooperation, and enhance exchange of
best practices, joint operations and training, timely information
sharing and exchange of criminals.
"The need to
maintain security and stability in our nations and region calls for more
cooperation in order to stay ahead of criminals.
Increased
production and export depends on security, which also attracts
investment and facilitates development. Sharing of security information
is paramount, because we learn from each other," IGP Sirro said.
Deputy Inspector
General of Police (IGP) for Uganda, Mr Sabiti Muzeyi, on the other hand,
observed that Uganda and Tanzania do not only co-exist geographically
as neighbors, but are also the same people who share common values and
aspirations.
"When spiders' webs
unite, they could easily kill a lion. Organized crime is always
changing tactics, therefore there is need for our police forces to unite
and cooperate more closely.
These values shape
our common interests, and it's Uganda's priority to advance bilateral
security cooperation in order to combine efforts against cross-border
and transnational organized crimes for the benefit of our people," IGP
Muzeyi said.
Significantly, he said, such security collaboration is important for the regional development agenda.
He, however,
highlighted five major security concerns which require concerted
efforts, which he mentioned as radicalization and terrorism, human and
drug trafficking, road safety and trafficking of fugitives.
The meeting was in
line with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two
police forces that highlights major areas of cooperation, including
exchange of information on criminals, expertise, and joint training and
operations, especially against narcotic drugs, among others.
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