President Paul Kagame has said that the key to African countries effectively dealing with contemporary crime is working together and leveraging new technologies.

The President was speaking on Wednesday in his keynote address at the opening of the 18th Annual General Assembly for the Eastern African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) at the Kigali Convention Centre.

"What’s important is cooperation, information sharing and constantly incorporating the latest technologies into police work…the dangers are real but we cannot afford to allow the pace of development and progress to be slowed down as a result,” he said.

The general assembly is being held under the theme: Enhancing cooperation and innovation in combating transnational organised and emerging crimes.

A subsidiary of Interpol, EAPCCO is made up of about a dozen regional member states, including Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Seychelles, Republic of Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.

President Kagame thanked Interpol for continuing to make Africa a priority and working closely with continental organs to follow through on commitments, adding that EAPCCO has already demonstrated its value through practical services and strengthened partnerships among all the 13 member states.

He said that close collaboration is needed to investigate complex crimes and to secure the extradition and conviction of suspects.

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