International Law Enforcement Co-Operation, Including Extradition Measures: An Overview of Initiatives in Southern Africa (From Enhancing International Law Enforcement Co-operation, including Extradition Measures, P 81-94, 2005, Kauko Aromma and Terhi Viljanen, eds, --See NCJ-213767)

• NCJ Number: 213775
• Author(s): Mukelabai Mukelabai
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 14 pages
• Corporate Author: United Nations European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI)
• Sale Source: Criminal Justice Press/Willow Tree Press
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter explores the challenges facing Southern African countries in terms of the international law enforcement cooperation, including extradition, and outlines some of the government initiatives designed to address the challenges.

Abstract

The Southern African region referred to in this chapter consists of the 13 member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an underdeveloped region of Africa that is especially vulnerable to transnational organized crime. Despite the complex political, economic, and social challenges facing this sub-region, which include conflict and wars among SADC member states, SADC has achieved some success in enhancing law enforcement cooperation. The Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (SARPCCO), formed in 1995 at the initiative of the chiefs of police of 11 Southern African countries, has coordinated strategies against transnational organized crime and has improved member state law enforcement cooperation. The various structures of the SARPCCO are described, such as the Council of Police Chiefs and the Permanent Coordinating Committee. SARCCO has overseen the drafting of multilateral agreements of law enforcement cooperation in Southern Africa and the South African Government has signed a number of bilateral agreements facilitating mutual law enforcement assistance. Law enforcement agreements with countries outside the SADC are examined and include the multilateral police cooperation relating to the reduction of drugs and drug trafficking between South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile as well as the memorandum of understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding drugs and drug trafficking. Confidence-building measures, cross-border joint operations, and various other law enforcement operations involving cooperation among countries in the region are described before the chapter turns to a discussion of the SADC protocol on extradition. Extraditable offenses, mandatory grounds for refusal to extradite, optional grounds for refusal to extradite, and issues relating to the death penalty, channels of communication, expenses, and the surrender of property are delineated. The remaining challenge for law enforcement in this area is the lack of funding for coordinated cross-jurisdictional prevention programs. Footnotes