I am gratified to welcome you all to our website. SARPCCO is a well established regional police structure in the Southern African region formed in 1995 after the Police Chiefs agreed to put their efforts together against a myriad of cross border crimes that have been cancerously bedeviling the region’s economic progress. Being the current Chairperson of SARPCCO, charged with the responsibility of ensuring its effectiveness in providing quality service to the region, I am highly encouraged by the level of cooperation existent among all Member States in thwarting criminal syndicates in the region.

However, more needs to be done in unison as the ripple effects of crime in one nation has a multiplier effect across the region and beyond, seriously undermining all efforts of human development. Policing transnational organized crime is beyond the scope and capacity of any nation inspite of its level of development. Transnational organized crime, by the nature of its evasiveness, demand concerted efforts of all nations if we ever cherish any hope of living in a crime free environment.

We thus extend our clarion call to all peace loving subjects of our Member States to set a new trajectory towards the formulation of a united front against the criminal syndicates inhabiting our region. It is unarguably true that each member state, well endowed they may appear, do not have full capacity of deploying every corner a police officer to preserve peace and security. The need of public participation can not be substituted by any policing philosophy. Without a health interaction with our members of the public, police organizations would be akin to a fish out side water.

We recognize that our legitimacy is driven from the will of the people we serve hence our effectiveness should flourish from effective public participation.

Cognizant of the crucial role played by our  stakeholders, the relaunch of this interactive platform has been done to advance the ideals of our Pan Africanism. Technological innovation should promote a holistic approach towards public safety. The realization of peace and security should thus be viewed as a shared responsibility that transcends over all nations in our region and beyond.

It remains an uncontested fact that policing has never been a static function. It draws its success from the commitment of all involved. The current strategic environmental scanning is indicative of a need for high level cooperation which I deeply wish to extend to every soul not only in the region but beyond. This platform is ours and should inform our strategic direction in navigating our journey towards peace, prosperity and sustainable economic development in our region.