Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Monday declared that the fight against crime “is one of the most demanding challenges of our time”, demanding “a structured, integrated and technologically skilled response”.
Launching the Strategic Plan of the National Criminal Investigation Institute (SERNIC) for the 2025-2033 period, Chapo stressed that SERNIC has entered a new phase with the creation of specialist units and the institution of a forensic DNA Laboratory which, for the first time, endows the country with state-of-the-art technology for the production of scientific evidence.
Chapo stressed that the increased sophistication of crime, including corruption, kidnappings, drug trafficking, terrorism and cyber-crime, is threatening the country’s stability, and demands a rapid and integrated approach.
“We want SERNIC to consolidate itself as a modern, effective and transparent service, aligned with the highest international standards of criminal investigation”, he said.
SERNIC’s new Strategic Plan lays down five pillars for its operations up until 2033 – namely technological and scientific modernisation; institutional strengthening and continual training; effective combat against organised and economic crime; closeness to citizens; and strengthening of public trust in the justice system.
Chapo stressed that under the new law on SERNIC, the institution is now under the supervision of the Attorney-General’s Office. This was the culmination of a battle that lasted for decades to take SERNIC out of the Interior Ministry.
Chapo regarded the forensic DNA laboratory as a decisive step in investigating such crimes as murder, kidnapping, trafficking in people and in human body parts, as well as civil cases where paternity is disputed.
The President described corruption as “a threat to the integrity of public and private institutions”, and called on SERNIC to strengthen its internal mechanisms of counter-intelligence, ethics and discipline.
No country in the world can develop when corrupt people and criminals are in charge, he warned, “and so all of us need to fight against these evils”.
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