Towards a Safe and Secure Nation: The First Consultative Conference on Firearm Control, Ownership and Administration in Botswana, 13-15 May, 2003

A case study in Regional Coordination by the SARPCCO Secretariat
Mr K Kapinga

I am honoured to be here to represent the Interpol Sub-regional Bureau at this most auspicious occasion of the First National Consultative Conference on Firearms Control, Ownership and Administration in Botswana.

There is no doubt that firearms have now turned into one of humanity's worst enemies, among many others. Statements made at very high-level international fora and in a variety of international legal instruments all testify to the harm that firearms have unleashed on humanity.

The United Nations Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, in its first preambular paragraph ,emphasises the awareness of the international community "... of the urgent need to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, their parts and components and ammunition owing to the harmful effects of those activities on the security of each state, region and the well being of peoples, their social and economic development and their right to live in peace".

The negative effects of illicit firearms on society at national, regional and global levels are well stated in the above quote. However, it is not enough that the problem be identified but there should be a solution suggested for it.

In the same protocol, the conviction of the international community of the "... necessity for all states to take appropriate measures to this end, including international cooperation and other measures at the regional and global levels", is clearly stated.

As I stated at the beginning, I am here representing the Interpol Sub-regional Bureau for Southern Africa.

The creation of Interpol Sub-regional Bureaux throughout the world was part of the implementation process of the Interpol Strategic Development Plan, which identified the regionalisation of Interpol services as critical to enhanced international law enforcement cooperation.

The Sub-regional Bureau for Southern Africa was conceived in that environment. Fortunately for the Southern Africa sub-region, the Chiefs of Police of 12 Southern African countries had already commenced the formation of an organisation that would foster higher levels of cooperation between the police services in the sub-region. This organisation at its birth or inauguration was called the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation, in short called SARPCCO.

The motivation for the formation of SARPCCO was the globalisation of crime which respected no frontiers, and was manifesting very disturbing symptoms of the involvement of organised syndicates willing to resort to the use of corruption and serious violence in the execution of their criminal activities.

In their wisdom and vision, the Chiefs of Police were unanimous that enhanced law enforcement cooperation amongst the Southern African countries was critical to stemming the tide of organised and violent crime that was manifesting itself in the sub-region.

The objectives of SARPCCO are set out in Article 3 of the Constitution and these, inter alia are:

Promote, strengthen and perpetuate cooperation and foster joint strategies for the management of all forms of cross-border and related crimes with regional implications;
Prepare and disseminate relevant information on criminal activities as may be necessary to benefit members to contain crime in the region;
Ensure efficient operation and management of criminal records and effective joint monitoring of cross-border crime taking full advantage of the relevant facilities available through Interpol.

The Interpol Sub-regional Bureau for Southern Africa, apart from being a regional structure of the Interpol General Secretariat, also serves as the permanent administrative and technical body through which SARPCCO operates. In simple terms, this means that we are the permanent secretariat of SARPCCO.

In an endeavour to combat the escalating cross-border crime within the region, the Chiefs of Police decided that SARPCCO would be different from other police groupings throughout the world. Therefore since its inception, SARPCCO member countries have executed, on a regular basis, joint operations throughout member countries.

These joint operations are targeted at crimes which are deemed to be of top priority in the region. So far SARPCCO has been involved in the execution of Operations V4, Makhulu, Sesani and Mangochi. Details of when and where these operations were conducted are contained.

In conformity with convention and to some extent necessity, SARPCCO also provides an avenue for the collection and sharing of intelligence on priority crimes, amongst which is included robberies and firearms offences.

Project Diamante is a SARPCCO initiative aimed at gathering intelligence related to the smuggling of diamonds, armed robberies, drugs and illicit firearms trafficking.

In the current period, there is a planned operation centering on the Republic of Angola code-named Operation Scorpion. This operation is aimed at combating the potential menace arising from firearms that were in use during the Angolan civil war.

A remarkable achievement that has been made by SARPCCO is its spearheading of the small arms programme in this sub-region.

SARPCCO published its declaration on Small Arms in 1999, through which the Chiefs of Police committed themselves to come up with strategies that would enable them, acting jointly, to effectively prevent and combat the illicit trafficking in firearms in the sub-region.

This development was followed by the adoption of the SADC Declaration and the formulation and ultimate signature of the SADC Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and Other Related Materials by the SADC Heads of State on the 14th of August 2001 in Blantyre, Malawi.

So far, seven countries have ratified the protocol and SARPCCO has been assigned the duty to formulate and execute the implementation plan on the small arms issue.

Some of the key issues covered in the implementation plan, in which we as the Bureau are involved in as a facilitator, are:

creation of national focal points;
development of training programmes on the conducting of joint operations related to firearms;
public awareness campaigns;
review of national legislations;
modernisation of central Firearms Registries especially computerisation of records;
convening of workshops to address key issues in the UNPOA and SADC Protocol such as marking and tracing of firearms and other technical issues.

The purpose of the UN Protocol Against Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking in Small Arms "... is to promote, facilitate and strengthen cooperation among states parties in order to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms their parts and components and ammunition".

At a regional level that purpose is replicated in the SADC Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and Other Related Materials.

We at the Bureau are responsible to facilitate and promote the cooperation necessary to ensure success in this endeavour at regional level. We have attempted to capture our responsibility in our draft vision statement, which reads, "We the Interpol Sub-regional Bureau for Southern Africa are committed to be a facilitator of the most effective international law enforcement cooperation for a safer Southern Africa and a safer world".

It gives me pleasure that the theme of safety is all-pervasive at national, regional and global level.

In conclusion I would like to emphasise that the road chosen by the Republic of Botswana in dealing with the issue of Small Arms needs to be predicated on cooperation with neighbours because no success can be guaranteed by an individualised approach.

I thank you for your attention.