Kampala — Kenya is in advanced stages to assemble a cyber-crime laboratory for police in Eastern Africa States to arrest Internet crime. The Kenyan police boss told journalists in Kampala on September 6 that the facility would be used by Member States of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO).

Maj. Gen. Hussein Ali Muhammad said the innovation is to detect cyber-crime including internet-based fraud, pornography, hate crime and illegal money transfer. "We are developing this laboratory because the Information and Communication Technology industry is so advanced that police has failed to catch up with the progress. Every other day there is progress in crime," Muhammad said in an interview soon after the launching of the eighth EAPCCO general meeting.

EAPCCO, presently has a membership of 10 States including Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Comoros. Inspectors General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura of Uganda (pictured), Andrew Rwigamba of Rwanda, and Maj. Gen. Muhammad of Kenya attended the meeting, which is rotational amongst the members.

Muhammad, also the outgoing chairman, had earlier told the delegates that: "An analysis of international trends of crime point to increase in organized crimes that are invariably trans-national in nature. Prominent amongst these threats are terrorism, the use and trafficking of narcotics, money laundering and cyber-crime." Muhammad handed over the chair to Kayihura.

"The ease and frequency of air travel coupled with the expanding expertise in information technology have found expression and utility in crime. Combating trans-national crimes will require an investment in both the technology and expertise to identify, investigate and prosecute such crimes," he added.

Muhammad further stressed that the essence of EAPCCO is for regional law enforcement agencies to share criminal intelligence in the trends of trans-national crimes.

Under EAPPCO, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya between mid April and early May, recovered several stolen vehicles imported into the countries.

However, the Kenyan Police Chief urged EAPCCO member states in future to execute such operations simultaneously.

"It is gratifying to note that you the police chiefs in the region, eight years ago, realized the need for cross-border co-operation; perhaps after noticing the ease with which criminals traversed our common borders, causing mayhem to innocent citizens with almost total impunity. Criminals had graduated from petty crime to the more lucrative organized trans-national crime. We can only tackle those crimes through trans-national efforts," the chief guest, the Ugandan Premier, Apollo Nsibambi, also reiterated in his speech read by Minister for General Duties in the Prime Minister's Office, Adolf Mwesigye.

Meanwhile, Muhammad said South America has invited EAPPCO members for an information sharing mission.

He said EAPPCO, the police body which widely coordinates with Interpol is the first of its kind in the world.