ANGOLA

Tackling organized crime in Angola

Southern African organized crime groups are typically involved in wildlife and forestry crime, particularly stock theft.  They are also increasingly engaged in drug, firearm, vehicle and people smuggling. Trafficking in precious stones is a growing concern for Angola.

Most crime networks engage in all these crime areas simultaneously, using the same trafficking routes to move multiple forms of illegal produce across the region, often bringing violence, insecurity and economic loss with them.

To anticipate, monitor, prevent and investigate these threats, and because crime networks invariably operate globally, it is essential for Angola’s law enforcement to have at its fingertips a global police cooperation tool enabling it to work with law enforcement in all continents.

INTERPOL in Angola

The INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Luanda is Angola’s lead agency for taking national criminal investigations beyond national borders to work with police forces in other countries and continents.

With a staff of 20 officers, the NCB sits at the heart of Angola’s national police force as part of the Criminal Investigation Department, the national ‘plain clothed’ police unit in charge of investigating serious crime committed both within and beyond Angola’s national borders.

Wildlife and forestry crime, and trafficking in drugs and firearms, are high on the list of NCB Luanda’s daily activities. It works closely with national police and regional NCBs in addressing Angola’s specific crime challenges from a regional and global perspective.

Angola National Police

A paramilitary force under the Ministry of the Interior, the Angola National Police is made up of operational, technical, consultative and support bodies, including Border Police, National Criminal Investigations, Traffic Control and SWAT.