An official from the American Internal Revenue Services – Criminal Investigations, Ms Patricia Haynes has called for collaborative efforts between various law enforcement agencies in the fight against transnational crime.
Speaking at the 39th Law Enforcement Executive Development (LEED) Program graduation ceremony at the International Law Enforcement Agency (ILEA) recently in Gaborone, Ms Haynes said that a disturbing number of today’s criminal syndicates are crossing their borders in search for opportunities to make unlawful profits.
She said the only effective way to defeat such syndicates which deal in among other things drug trafficking and financial crimes such as tax evasion and money laundering is for law enforcement agencies around the globe to work together to bring the criminals down.
She further encouraged the 35 graduates who were from Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Namibia to continue the relationships they had established during the six-week duration of the LEED program. When nurtured, she said, such relationships could become useful in the formation of partnerships needed in the fight against transnational crimes in future.
In her remarks, one of the graduates Ms Sylvia Shikongo of the Bank of Namibia commended ILEA for offering programs that are relevant to today’s law enforcement agencies and their stakeholders. She also said that since its establishment ILEA has become a good platform for law enforcement officers from different parts of Africa to meet, interact and form beneficial partnerships.