The Director of Public Prosecutions, Satyajit Boolell stated that maritime crimes present many challenges as they occur most of the time out of sight, out of mind, and is therefore difficult to investigate. This statement from the DPP was made during the launch of the 2021 edition of its Mauritius Criminal Law Review organized in collaboration with the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Indian Ocean Forum on Maritime Crime. The theme of the conference was ‘Reinforcing the Criminal Chain of Maritime Crimes at National, Regional and International Levels’.
The DPP, Mr Satyajit Boolell, the UNODC representative, Mrs Pooja Bissoonauthsing, and other eminent personalities were present on this occasion.
Mr Boolell said that there are drugs which are offloaded in the Mauritian territorial waters and then picked by small boats and these are not captured on the radar system. These situations, he outlined, also present several challenges to Law Enforcement Officers adding that several means have to be devised so as to effectively address this issue.
Furthermore, the DPP observed that maritime crimes in the region are on the rise due to, among others, globalization and digitalization. He further stated that those who were once involved in piracy are today organized crime perpetrators and generate more illicit revenue. As such, he emphasized that there is a need for Indian Ocean countries to cooperate so as to be able to closely monitor and have control over their respective Exclusive Economic Zones in a bid to discourage organized crimes in the region.
As for Mrs Bissoonauthsing, she underlined the importance to build on existing foundations so as to enhance collaboration in the fight against maritime crimes. “There must be a willingness from the relevant stakeholders to tackle the perpetrators of maritime crimes, who are constantly having recourse to new means and technology in their actions”, she said.
