In 2012, the Regional Chiefs of Police unanimously and unequivocally established the EAPCCO Regional Counter Terrorism Centre of Excellence (CTCoE) and directed which member country of the EAPCCO would host it. The EAPCCO CTCoE is supported and maintained by the EAPCCO member countries, enabling it to face its mandate.
The host country Kenya has generously provided office space and competent initial staff to kick start the Centre, as well as providing for their up-keep.
In principle, member countries are to provide the primary funding of the Centre through annual subscription before any donor can set into support.
During the last organs meeting in February 2020, key documents that support the full establishment of the Centre were approved by the relevant organs including the Permanent Coordinating Committee (PCC) of EAPCCO and recommended for approval by the Council of Police Chiefs (CPC).
The documents include:
- The Establishment Agreement (has since been approved by CPC and adopted by Council of Ministers)
- The Host Country Agreement
- The Structure of the Centre
- The Five Year Strategic Budget (2020-2024)
- A Five Year Work Plan (2020-2024)
The PCC members in consultation with their respective Chiefs of Police, have decided in unison how each member country shall contribute annually in support of the Centre’s budget.
The second line of budgetary support will come from partners and like-minded organisations; both regional and international. Key among the international bodies who have come on board to support the Centre is the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), who is a long-standing partner of the EAPCCO in addressing cross-border crimes. The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, through the UNODC, is supporting the full operationalization of the Centre.
Project activities of the Centre include:
- Strengthening the research and analytical capability of the Centre;
- Refurbishment of the office space and providing necessary tools and equipment to enable the work of the Centre personnel;
- Establishing the Centre as a credible knowledge hub on countering violent extremism and terrorism through research initiatives, publications and issue papers;
- Capacity building at internal (in-house for Centre personnel, national and at the regional level;
- Continuously evaluating and reporting on the terrorism situation and trends in the region;
- Improving the visibility of the Centre at the regional level and internationally;
- Developing a dedicated website for the EAPCCO CTCoE.
Other partners supporting the Centre on its broad mandate include the European Union (EU) through their Regional Law Enforcement for the Horn of Africa and Yemen project, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA).