INTERPOL’s European Regional Conference concluded with renewed vigor to combat transnational organized crime in all its forms, both within the region and globally. The meeting offered an in-depth discussion on the challenges facing law enforcement as they tackle an increasingly sophisticated and diverse crime landscape.
“While Europe may be INTERPOL’s most active region, the threat posed by organized crime makes information sharing at both the regional and global levels more crucial than ever,” said Peter De Buysscher, INTERPOL Vice President for Europe, who chaired the conference. “We must ensure there are no gaps for criminals to exploit.”
INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock stated: “Organized crime is becoming more violent and complex. Without greater information sharing and cooperation, no country can tackle this challenge alone. “The discussions and decisions from this conference underscore law enforcement’s commitment to work both regionally and globally to combat this threat.”
As environmental crime reaches a critical stage in Europe, with diminishing natural resources and climate change impacting food security, livelihoods, and habitats, delegates endorsed a recommendation for increased operational activity to address this threat. Enhanced cooperation across relevant law enforcement sectors, such as fisheries, wildlife, and financial authorities, was recognized as essential for effective action.
The enhanced use and sharing of biometric data via INTERPOL to identify criminals involved in transnational organized crime was also emphasized as key to disrupting illicit networks. INTERPOL’s Biometric Hub, a state-of-the-art system, enables law enforcement to upload fingerprints and facial recognition images for comparison against the Organization’s databases for potential matches.
Delegates were also updated on results achieved through INTERPOL’s International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database, which connects victim identification specialists worldwide. The ICSE database supports the analysis and comparison of images, avoiding duplication of effort and saving precious time if a series of images has already been discovered or identified elsewhere.
The three-day conference, held from 11 to 13 June, brought together around 160 senior police leaders from 54 countries in Europe and around the world.
