International police cooperation crucial for tackling new forms of crime: Minister of the Interior

Home Minister Govind Mohan with CBI Director Praveen Sood and others during the 10th Interpol Liaison Officers (ILO) Conference, organised by the CBI, in New Delhi, Thursday, September 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI

Home Minister Govind Mohan on Thursday (September 5, 2024) said that new age crimes such as cyber fraud, online radicalisation and transnational organised crime networks know no borders and therefore in an increasingly interconnected world, the importance of international police cooperation cannot be overemphasised.

Mr. Mohan opened the 10th Interpol Liaison Officers (ILO) Conference, organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the theme “Strengthening International Law Enforcement Partnerships” ahead of the upcoming UN International Day of Police Cooperation.

The first session was attended virtually by law enforcement personnel from India and member countries of Interpol, Europol and GloBE Network.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Mohan stressed the importance of international police cooperation. He stated that the specter of transnational crime and organized crime calls for real-time international police cooperation.

“The international spread of crime and criminals has increased the need for investigations abroad. Prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crime is increasingly dependent on digital evidence and evidence found abroad,” he said.

Mr Mohan said there is a need for close and real-time coordination among law enforcement agencies globally to address the threats posed by terrorism and terrorist financing, transnational organised crime networks, online radicalisation, cybercrime and crimes ranging from illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking and wildlife/environmental crime to money laundering of proceeds of crime.

Quoting from Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech at the closing session of the 90th Interpol General Assembly, Mr Mohan said: “Today, crime has become borderless and if we want to stop this kind of crime and these criminals, we all have to think beyond the conventional geographical boundaries, so we have to think about it and act accordingly.”

Elaborating on the recent initiatives for international police cooperation, he said that with the approval of the Ministry of Interior, a working agreement with Europol was signed by the CBI in March 2024. The CBI Academy joined the Interpol Global Academy Network in August 2023. The agency’s Global Operation Centre was established in 2022.

Addressing the participants, CBI Chief Praveen Sood said that India’s police force is at the forefront of addressing the challenges through a combination of a robust legal framework, innovative initiatives, leveraging technology and proactive international cooperation.

He said the Global Operation Centre handled 17,368 international requests for assistance in 2023 and Interpol issued as many as 100 Red Notices against criminals and fugitives wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies, the highest number ever in a single year. He said in collaboration with Interpol and international law enforcement partners, 29 wanted criminals were brought back from abroad in 2023 and 19 so far in 2024.

A roundtable discussion with experts was devoted to the central theme, with speakers from the German Federal Police, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Police Agency (Japan), the National Crime Agency (UK), the Chilean Law Enforcement Agency and the Nepalese Police.