ZAMBIA

Fighting organized crime in Zambia

Zambia is a landlocked country in Southern Africa which shares borders with eight countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

This geographical location is attractive to organized crime groups either wishing to carry out smuggling operations across the region or to cross it bound for other continents. Their crimes often lead to money laundering and violent crime in the region around Zambia.

Zambia’s crime areas of priority concern include wildlife crime (stock theft in particular) and organized crime, which comprises drug crime, firearms trafficking and trafficking in human beings.  Cybercrime is also a growing national crime phenomenon.

The international characteristics of these crimes and their links with crime networks around the world make the role of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Zambia fundamental to maintaining national and regional security.

INTERPOL in Zambia

Zambia’s NCB plays a central role in preventing the country and surrounding region from serving international organized crime. By providing globally sourced intelligence about regional crime, the NCB helps police officers across Zambia detect and investigate the flow of illicit goods along trafficking routes in and around the country.

INTERPOL Lusaka regularly takes part in INTERPOL-led police operations in the region, particularly against criminal organizations involved in drugs, financial crime and stolen motor vehicles.

Zambia’s national police force uses the NCB to work with police forces across the world in investigating crime and bringing criminals to justice. It also draws on INTERPOL’s experience in educating, guiding and raising police awareness on international crime trends.

Law enforcement in Zambia

Law enforcement services across Zambia are provided by the Zambia Police Service (ZPS), which is part of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Under the command of an Inspector General of Police, ZPS has responsibility throughout Zambia’s 10 provinces to preserve law and order, protect people and property, prevent and investigate crime, and keep the peace through community policing.

/