The East African Community (EAC), in partnership with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Indian Ocean Commission have over the last three years been implementing the ESA-IO Maritime Security Strategy with a Euro 37.5 million seed funding from the European Union.
Among the interventions envisaged is the enhancement of the Capacity of the Criminal Investigations Authorities of the participating states to effectively and efficiently investigate crimes at sea in a manner that provides a successful legal finish. The EAC was entrusted with this result area and commenced training of investigators on General investigations, Forensic Investigations and Criminal Analysis. Six intermediate trainings, targeting 50 officers per cluster were held between January and June 2018.
The advanced trainings for the same officers in each of the clusters commenced with the training of 50 officers on Criminal Analysis that commenced on 23rd April 2019 in Mauritius. The trainings will take place within a two week period ending May 5th 2019. The trainings are being held at the Mauritius Prisons Training School in Port Louis. INTERPOL, within the context of the MoU between EAC and it (INTERPOL) concluded in 2012, is providing the technical expertise.
The trainings were formally launched by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Human Rights and Constitutional Reforms of Mauritius Hon Maneesh Gobin. In his speech the Minister underscored the need for collective action by regional states in combating transnational organized crime. He noted that with the increase in the movement of people, money and goods, the level of sophistication of crime that rides on economic and social integration has increased.
He called for the intensification of both horizontal and vertical information sharing among and within agencies and across states. He re-emphasized the need to strengthen commonality of purpose and where possible expansion of the training program to encompass more states particularly the French Speaking island states whose legal systems are different yet whose security is inextricably tied to other regional states (both littoral and inland).
The opening session was also graced by the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation in Mauritius Michael Gobalek, the Deputy Commissioner of Police Muktar Din Taujoo, and the Commissioner of Prisons, Premananda Apadoo.
Participants for the trainings are drawn from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Seychelles, Mauritius, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
