SARPCCO to address transnational crime

WINDHOEK, Namibia, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The head of Interpol, in a meeting with police officials from southern African countries, said curbing transnational criminal networks must be a top priority.

Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble met with the 13-member country Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (SARPCCO) during its annual general meeting recently.

Noble addressed police chiefs and other security officials, saying Interpol will continue to lead the effort against transnational criminal networks, but that combating the evolving threat of the networks will require increased SARPCCO involvement, Interpol reported.

"I consider it a key task of Interpol to demonstrate to police chiefs and heads of law enforcement agencies worldwide that a global and integrated approach is vital to combat 21st century crime," Noble said in a statement.

"It is for that reason that we are launching our global security initiative to ensure that all of our important activities come together coherently and efficiently to support the police in our member countries."

SARPCCO announced its support for the global security initiative during the two days of meetings and said it would continue working on international cooperation to curb transnational crime.