HANOI, Vietnam – Anticipating and embracing technological advances is increasingly at the core of law enforcement work, INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in his address to the 39th ASEANAPOL Conference.
The INTERPOL Chief said advances such as 5G technology were pushing police out of their comfort zones, but also provided greater impetus for enhanced law enforcement connectivity and communication.
Secretary General Stock underlined the importance of interoperability between different police systems – national, regional and global to avoid duplication of channels and ensure critical data flows.
Making sure the right information is in the right hands at the right time was critical to the success of law enforcement in disrupting organized crime networks and identifying criminals and terrorists.
In this respect, the INTERPOL Chief pointed to a recent operation coordinated by INTERPOL across the ASEAN region which resulted in the arrest of some 241 suspects wanted for online illicit gambling, trafficking in human beings, drugs and firearms as well as money laundering, child sexual exploitation and terrorism.
Connection to INTERPOL’s global network and databases at border control points and other key frontline positions has also resulted in a number of significant arrests and the identification of individuals travelling on fraudulent documents.
In July this year INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database enabled police in Malaysia to identify and interdict three passengers who were using Iraqi passports reported as being stolen by Da’esh.
Secretary General Stock welcomed the ongoing expansion of connectivity to INTERPOL’s network across ASEAN as an important step in enhancing regional and global security.
The 10 ASEANAPOL member countries are: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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