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Several law enforcement agencies have pledged to work tirelessly so that the hologram, which the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services acquired recently, succeeds.
The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), The Zambia Police, Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), Immigration Department and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) disclosed this pledge in Lusaka today at a meeting for Director’s of law enforcement agencies hosted by the Permanent Secretary of Information and Broadcasting Services Amos Malupenga.
The law enforcement agencies separately said local authorities needed to coordinate to ensure that the hologram is implemented efficiently.
DEC Commissioner Alita Mbahwe said the commission will put in its best to bring culprits to book and use the initiative to combat money laundering.
Ms. Mbahwe said the hologram was a good development for the security wings and therefore concerted efforts were required to extend it to the district level.
She further said more sensitisation must be done to members of public who may not be able to detect the original holograms from fake ones.
And Deputy Inspector General of Police Solomon Jere warned people against trying to pirate the hologram saying this will only land them into problems.
Dr. Jere said police were aware that some people will attempt to make fake holograms but cautioned that those that will be caught doing so will be prosecuted according to the law which determines that first and second offenders get up to five and ten years in prison respectively.
He also called on the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) to support the police in discarding counterfeit products in a manner that was good for the environment and the public.
And ZRA Deputy Commissioner for Customs Reuben Kunda said key stakeholders will need to play their respective roles in the implementation of the hologram in order for the country to secure the much needed revenue from the products.
Mr. Kunda said piracy has continued to threaten the country’s tax base and as such, there was need for law enforcement agencies to be innovative in their operations.
He added that piracy was an organised form of crime that does not require ordinary solutions but coordinated border management to ensure that the hologram was effectively implemented.
Speaking earlier, Information and Broadcasting Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga said the success or failure of the hologram rests mainly on the law enforcement agencies.
Mr. Malupenga, who is also the chairperson of the taskforce on the hologram, stressed that his ministry will rely on the law enforcement agencies adding that government was very confident that the security feature will meet its intended objectives.
He stressed that the fight against piracy was one campaign that needs cooperation and expertise on all levels.
Meanwhile, vice chairperson of the taskforce on the hologram and National Arts Council chairperson Mulenga Kapwepwe said the hologram was a very important intervention in the arts industry because it will significantly help in regularising the sector.
Ms. Kapwepwe said artists were very happy with the development and commended government for the bold move it took to introduce the facility.
A hologram is a security feature that is affixed on all genuine CDs, DVDs and other such media to distinguish original audio and visual products from pirated ones.
Applications for the hologram will commence tomorrow 13th June but it will be officially launched on 16th September this year by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services in partnership with the ministry of Tourism and Arts.
