Transnational policing in Southern Africa: moving towards a centralized European model of police cooperation?

The nature of cross-border police cooperation in Southern Africa has undergone radical transformation over the past two decades. Numerous international treaties and agreements now formalize and enhance the conduct and effectiveness of police cooperation. Legislative and policy initiatives have given shape and form to a framework of cooperation, with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its constituent Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (SARPCCO) at its centre. The establishment of Afripol in 2015 suggests that transnational policing is becoming more centralized, similar in ways to the EU transnational policing infrastructure. The chapter questions the wisdom of using EU structures and processes for police cooperation as a benchmark