Police in southern Africa step up cross-border operations

Police in southern Africa were stepping up cross-border operations in their battle against organised crime under a deal that allowed police to enter another country and make arrests for crimes committed at home, AFP quoted Mozambican police officials as saying on Sunday.

Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia had all agreed to let their police forces operate across their borders, as long as the government notified the country before police moved in, Mozambican police spokeman Nataniel Macamo told AFP. The Southern African Regional Police Cooperation (SARPCO) agreement was signed in 1995, and police forces in the region were increasingly taking advantage of the deal.

According to the report, the agreement has seen law enforcement officers, including those from Mozambique and South Africa, work together in various operations, including the destruction of arms caches and a drug factory in the Mozambican capital. “We have seen some fruits already, such as recovery of stolen vehicles, dismantling of arms caches in Mozambique and the neutralisation of drug traffickers in a series of joint operations,” Macamo was quoted as saying.