The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Monday, July 22, 1996 — The International Criminal Police Organisation, will soon train Zimbabwean police officers on the latest trends in economic crimes in its efforts to keep local law enforcement agents abreast of such crimes.

Mr Sebastian Mgwambi, a Zimbabwean attached to the Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, France, said local police officers would receive training necessary to help them fight the growing and sophisticated economic crimes.

“Organised criminal syndicates are wreaking havoc in developing countries, taking advantage of these countries’ technological backwardness. The criminals have taken advantage of modern technology to perpetuate and consolidate their positions,” said Mr Mgwambi.

He said experts on economic crimes from Interpol were expected in the country soon to conduct an intensive course on advanced investigation techniques.

Among the problematic economic crimes are fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, economic sabotage and computer frauds which are getting increasingly difficult to detect. The advent of computers has not gone down well for the economy either. Criminals are making illegal connections and gaining access to information without authority.

A lot of illegal deals are going on on the internet, a global computer-based communication technology. This system is very difficult to monitor and gives criminal syndicates an almost secret communication mode.