Bandar Seri Begawan - In an effort to further build collective police response and law enforcement capacity against crime threats on regional and international level, personnel from the Royal Brunei Police Force and Narcotics Control Bureau together with senior law enforcement officials from Asia, the South Pacific and the Middle East attended the 21st INTERPOL Asian Regional Conference in Amman, Jordan.

Leading the Brunei delegation for the three-day conference (September 17-19) was Deputy Commissioner of Police Dato Seri Pahlawan Bahrin bin Mohd Noor.

One hundred and fifty delegates from some 40 countries participated in the conference. Themed "Innovative Action and Law Enforcement Cooperation in Asia for a Safer World", issues under consideration by the delegates include terrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, integrity in sports, maritime piracy, trafficking in illicit goods, pharmaceutical crime and environmental security.

Key measures approved by the conference delegates included recommendations for Asean member countries to further explore, investigate and research the links between trafficking in illicit goods and transnational organised crime, extend the usage of INTERPOL's global tools and services, and enhance the capacity of member countries to combat emerging crime trends such as cyber-crime, including by reinforcing training programmes.

Meanwhile, in combating transnational crime, Brunei continues to contribute through active participation and interaction in various INTERPOL conferences, as well as active implementation of resolutions unanimously agreed upon by INTERPOL member countries. Resolutions from the 20th INTERPOL Asian Regional Conference which have been implemented by the Royal Brunei Police Force include the extension of INTERPOL's services beyond the National Central Bureau, internally within the Royal Brunei Police Force and externally to local law enforcement agencies.

Furthermore, the Royal Brunei Police Force has also enhanced international cooperation against cybercrime, another resolution of the previous Asian Regional Conference.

This was achieved by joining INTERPOL's Working Parties on IT Crime to improve practices and enhance capacity in the fight against cybercrime. In this regard, Brunei will participate in the upcoming 6th INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) Working Group Meeting and Pt Operational Expert Group on CyberCrime Meeting.

The conference closed with delegates unanimously designating Singapore as host country for the 22nd INTERPOL Asian Regional Conference in 2014.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin