SARPCCO crafted seven objectives which are subject to domestic legislation and international obligations of Member States:

• To promote, strengthen and perpetuate cooperation and foster joint strategies for the management of all forms of cross-border and related crimes with regional implications 
• To prepare and disseminate relevant information on criminal activities as may be necessary to benefit members to contain crime in the region. 
• To carry out regular reviews of joint crime management strategies in view of changing national and regional needs and priorities. 
• To ensure efficient operation and management of criminal recordsand efficient joint monitoring of cross-border crime taking full advantage of the relevant facilities available through INTERPOL. 
• To make relevant recommendations to governments of member countries in relation to matters affecting effective policing in the Southern African region. 
• To formulate systematic regional training policies and strategies taking into account the need and performance requirements of the regional police services/ forces. 
• To carry out any such relevant and appropriate acts and strategies for purposes of promoting regional police cooperation and collaborations as regional circumstances dictate.
• sharpening skills of operatives in the region in crime intelligence and, detection and prevention of crime;
• successful joint operations on bi-lateral and multi-lateral levels;
• designing and implementing robust capacity building programmes;
• setting up of SARPCCO Centre of Excellency; and
• entrenching gender equity within the rank and file of SARPCCO Member States.
• Financial constraints thus, certain activities suffer, and
• Non-harmonisation of laws thus making it difficulty in repatriation of exhibits.

Membership

Later, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius and Seychelles joined the organization as membership grew from the inaugural ten (10) to the current fifteen (15). Thus, the full list of Member States is as follows; Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

SARPCCO Secretariat

The SARPCCO Secretariat was established at the Interpol Sub-Regional Bureau in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1997. The Head of Interpol Regional Bureau also doubles as the SARPCCO Coordinator. A rotational system of leadership at the Regional Bureau has been employed. So far, four (4) countries have provided leadership. These are; Zimbabwe (1997-2001), Botswana (2001-2015), Namibia (2005-2015) and Malawi (2009-2015). The term of the incumbent Head from Malawi, Commissioner of Malawi Police Service, Dr. Chilika Simfukwe is soon ending. Another country will soon take up the position.