Crime on the rise, EAC warns

The East Africa Community (EAC) Deputy Secretary General, Political Federation, Dr Julius Rotich has urged for concerted efforts to check cross-border criminals who he said “appear to be federating faster than the partner states.”

He said the levels of sophistication of crime continue to increase, with the ever educational opportunities coupled with unemployment.

“This challenge thus calls upon you, the investigators, to keep abreast with crime trends and enhance your investigative capacities to ensure convictions,” he said.

He was addressing a meeting of Directors of CIDS, Registrars of Motor Vehicles and heads of Anti-Narcotic Units and trafficking in persons in Nairobi, Kenya.

The high human rights and evidence admissibility threshold observed in the region, he said, puts further pressure on development of technical investigative capacities.

Dr Rotich mentioned that it was against this background that the Secretariat has prioritised the establishment of a regional forensic centre.

Information and knowledge sharing, he said, remains important components of criminal investigations work.

He expressed concern over expert reports indicating that Human and Drug Trafficking cartels, continue to use the region as a transit hub.

“While acknowledging efforts you have so far invested, I would wish to encourage you to redouble your efforts and forestall the kind of human tragedies Tanzania has witnessed over the last six months with no less than 50 persons being discovered dead inside containers while being smuggled to other destinations,” Dr Rotich said.

He pointed out that such occurrences along with the increasing hard drugs market in the region, piracy along with money laundering were undermining the social fabric of society and the benefits of integration.

He asked the security officers to remember that they were the shield upon which the region depends and looks up to for protection.

The last similar meeting recommended to the Sectoral Council the need to commence implementation of the EAPCCO Motor Vehicle Clearance Certificates by January 1st 2012.

But the outcome is yet to be seen.

Head of Tanzania delegation, Assistant Commissioner of Police Peter Kivuyo urged member states to have more stringent penalties for drug offenders.

"Currently penalties imposed on drug dealers or its agents is not harsh enough to deter others in engaging this type of criminal activity,'' he said.

Head of CID Rwanda Christopher Bizimungu said that intelligence co-operation under EAC has helped to nab drug culprits.

''The co-operation among the EAC Partner States is proving successful in taming the drugs menace in our region," he said.