Union’s Internal Security Service Opens 10th Interpol Liaison Officers Conference

NEW DELHI: The 10th INTERPOL Liaison Officers (ILO) Conference, organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was inaugurated by Govind Mohan, India’s Home Minister, at the CBI headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday.

The conference, themed “Strengthening International Law Enforcement Partnerships,” coincides with the upcoming UN International Day of Police Cooperation.

In his inaugural address, Govind Mohan stressed the importance of international police cooperation in tackling the challenges posed by cross-border, technology-enabled crime.

He stressed the urgent need for international cooperation in real time to combat transnational and organised crime. He emphasised that crimes such as cybercrime, online radicalisation and transnational organised crime networks are no longer limited by borders.

“The international spread of crime and criminals has increased the need for investigations abroad. Prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crime increasingly rely on digital and foreign evidence,” Mohan said.

He added that there is a need for close coordination and real-time cooperation between global law enforcement agencies to tackle the threats of terrorism, organized crime networks, illicit drug trafficking, arms trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, economic crimes and more.

Govind Mohan also touched upon India’s longstanding association with INTERPOL. He noted that India has been an active member since 1949 and has hosted multiple sessions of the INTERPOL General Assembly and several other international law enforcement events.

Recent initiatives include the signing of a working arrangement with EUROPOL in March 2024, joining the INTERPOL Global Academy Network and participating in the International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database. These initiatives are all aimed at improving global police cooperation.

During the conference, CBI Director Praveen Sood highlighted the global challenges posed by polycrime, such as terrorism, online radicalisation, cyber-based financial crime and organised crime.

He stressed the importance of leveraging technology and international cooperation to effectively combat these threats, noting that in 2023 alone, the CBI’s Global Operation Centre handled more than 17,000 international requests for assistance and issued a record 100 red alerts to criminals and

fugitives wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies.