At the invitation of the East Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO), the ENACT project was represented across the consortium at the 48th EAPCCO Permanent Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting and sub-committee meetings. This was convened in Bujumbura, Burundi, from 4–6 March 2024. Through presentations and discussions, the meeting resulted in several endorsements of ENACT technical support and knowledge-based products. Notably, the meeting endorsed the Africa Organised Crime Index and resolved to adopt it as a management tool used by police chiefs in the region.
In sub-committee meetings, discussions focused on leveraging regional policing capabilities to promote law enforcement cooperation to disrupt and combat terrorism and transnational organised crime. The meeting was chaired by the Director of Criminal Investigations, Burundi and brought together police chiefs and Directors of Criminal Investigations (or their representatives) from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Also in attendance were EAPCCO cooperating partners, including the EAPCCO Counter Terrorism Centre of Excellence, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Cyber Security Africa, the Regional Operational Centre, the Khartoum Process, and the British High Commission.
EAPCCO sub-committees working on legal matters, training and capacity building, gender, cybercrimes, and counter-terrorism convened prior to the PCC meeting to put forward recommendations for the PCC. ENACT was afforded the opportunity on the agenda to offer insights and expertise at each of these sub-committee meetings.
The recommendations submitted and subsequently adopted by the PCC included establishing a dedicated working group to speed up the operational implementation of the (ENACT-enabled) EAPCCO-CAPCCO regional agreement to bolster cross-regional cooperation and intelligence sharing in response to transnational organised crime. As a matter of urgency, the PCC also recommended the development of a regional strategy to further implementation of the (ENACT-revised) Mifugo Protocol on cattle rustling within the region. This gives impetus to the existing support that ENACT has provided since 2021 and will continue in the coming phase of the project.
Recognising the need for enhanced cooperation in combatting transnational organised crime, EAPCCO formally endorsed the Africa Organised Crime Index as a key management tool for the region. In the formal minutes of the meeting, the PCC recommended the following:
'i. That member countries utilise the Index as a strategic management tool for policing in the region in terms of identifying needs and emerging crime trends;
ii. That member countries use the Index tool to understand the full scale of organised crime and regional and continental dynamics together with the solutions needed to effectively combat organised crime; and
iii. That member countries consider the Index findings to allow for focus on key areas which may lead to better resource management.'
ENACT also presented its contributions to criminal intelligence analysis capabilities in the region through INTERPOL-supported national criminal analysis units (CAUs), two of which are in East Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. With access to INTERPOL databases, and equipped with tools and learning resources, the CAUs have demonstrated significant support in understanding and recognising crime threats and the technical skills to bolster police investigative capabilities. In expressing their gratitude for the support offered by the CAUs, the PCC urged member countries to engage with INTERPOL-ENACT to establish more criminal analytical units in their respective countries.
An overview of the womENACTion initiative was also presented during the meeting. This is a flagship initiative by INTERPOL that provides a unique platform for women officers in the field of criminal intelligence analysis. It offers a safe platform to share experiences, gain knowledge, review best practices, and promote specialised career development in criminal intelligence analysis.
The PCC endorsed the womENACTion initiative and called for more members from the region to join the network. The continued engagement between EAPCCO and ENACT is a priority for the project. It is vital to realising the objectives of providing evidence-based data with technical and capacity support to build regional cooperation instrumental in combating transnational organised crime.
