Organised Crime in the SADC Region, Police Perceptions

This report by the Institute for Security Studies details a 2000 survey of nine police agencies within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region to assess perceptions of organised crime. It identifies significant resource constraints, a lack of standardised definitions for organised crime, and the prevalence of transnational criminal activities, highlighting the need for improved regional cooperation and international training.

• Police agencies in the SADC region face severe resource constraints, resulting in vast underpoliced areas. Police-to-population ratios vary significantly, ranging from 1:270 in Botswana to 1:737 in Zambia and 1:1,298 in Tanzania, which creates a low-risk environment for criminals.
• There is a critical lack of standardised definitions for organised crime among SADC police agencies, which hinders investigative focus and regional cooperation. Of the nine agencies surveyed, five had no adopted definition, and the other four used differing definitions. Furthermore, only one agency had a specialised unit focusing specifically on organised criminal groups, rather than specific crime categories.
• Organised crime in the region is predominantly transnational. All nine surveyed agencies reported organised involvement in armed robbery, vehicle theft and hijacking, smuggling of firearms, and dealing in counterfeit notes. Eight agencies also reported drug-trafficking, forgery, and the smuggling of ivory and rhino horn.
• The five most serious threats identified by the surveyed countries are: theft and hijacking of motor vehicles, robbery, drug related offences, illicit dealing in gold, diamonds and emeralds, and illicit dealing in firearms and ammunition. Criminal groups involving South African and Nigerian nationals are noted as significant threats; South African groups are among the top three threats in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, while Nigerian groups pose serious threats in Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.
• Police agencies identified a critical need for legislation regarding money-laundering and requested international assistance, specifically in the form of training for investigators. They also called for improved regional cooperation through more joint operations and the establishment of a central database for all SADC countries to improve the exchange of information on criminals and crime trends.

APA

Gastrow, P. (n.d.). Organised Crime in the SADC Region, Police Perceptions. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-60-organised-crime-in-the-sadc-region-police-perceptions-peter-gastrow

Chicago

Gastrow, Peter. Organised Crime in the SADC Region, Police Perceptions. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-60-organised-crime-in-the-sadc-region-police-perceptions-peter-gastrow.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gastrow |first1=Peter |title=Organised Crime in the SADC Region, Police Perceptions |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-60-organised-crime-in-the-sadc-region-police-perceptions-peter-gastrow |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gastrowndorganised, author = {Gastrow, Peter}, title = {{Organised Crime in the SADC Region, Police Perceptions}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-60-organised-crime-in-the-sadc-region-police-perceptions-peter-gastrow}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }