Representatives of regional Police officers are, this week, meeting in Kigali as part of the activities of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO).

EAPCCO, that comprises 11 countries; Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eretria, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda was formed in 1998 to improve regional police cooperation in combating transnational crime.

Globalization has removed various physical barriers and with countries today moving towards integration, cross-border crimes have gone up.

This has presented national security organs with the challenge of addressing crime or tracking down suspects and fugitives who are out of their jurisdictions.

Furthermore, with advancement in technology, criminals do not necessarily have to be physically present at the scene where the intended crime is perpetrated.

The media have often reported cases of vehicle thefts, money laundering, smuggling of illicit brew and drugs, with the stolen or illegal products sold in foreign countries.

Rwanda is still searching for the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and other categories of fugitives who have found safe havens in foreign countries, sometimes under assumed identities.

However, through cooperation, transnational crime can be defeated and fugitives can be tracked, arrested and brought to book.

Once there is collaboration, Police forces can devise mechanisms to exchange information, share expertise, as well as experiences all geared towards making the region a safer place.

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