Regional Police chiefs meet in Uganda today

Eastern Africa Police Chiefs are meeting in Uganda to discuss the role of modern technology to development in the world.Uganda’s Deputy Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango explained that participants at the first East African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO) retreat will discuss the threat modern technology poses, as well as the opportunity it offers to security and stability with specific focus on Africa.The retreat is taking place at the Paraa Safari Lodge, in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda’s Masindi District.It is being held under the theme: Challenges of Contemporary Policing in the Eastern Africa Region: Managing violence and Cyber Crime.”In his presentation to the Police chiefs yesterday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called on security officers to work together in an effort to fight transnational crimes and terrorism.“The signing of an extradition treaty is the way forward. You should follow the judicial system in the region,” Museveni said in response to the challenge of fighting criminals who cross borders posing as asylum seekers.He proposed the establishment of a regional centre of excellence with the aim of handling issues such as forensic analysis. Rwanda’s Inspector General of Police Emmanuel Gasana joined his other counterparts from Uganda, Burundi, Comoros, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Seychelles, Somalia, and Tanzania at the meeting.Crime experts from Europe, the Middle East and international organisations such as Interpol, the Institute for Strategic Studies, and the International Justice Mission will also make presentations on curbing crime.The aim of the two-day retreat is to enhance police professionalism, forge stronger regional and global perspective, the challenges in managing and combating violence and cyber crimes and, finally, draw an action plan, according to organisers.