Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan during his address at the 10th Interpol Liaison Officers conference on Thursday emphasized the importance of international police cooperation in tackling the rapidly evolving landscape of technology-enabled crimes which transcends borders.

The Union Home Secretary, who inaugurated the ILO’s conference organized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at its headquarters here, further stated that the specter of transnational crime and organized crimes, require real time international police cooperation.

He asserted, “The international dispersal of crime and criminals has enhanced the need for investigation abroad. Prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crime is increasingly reliant on digital evidence and foreign located evidence”.

He further said, “New age crimes, including cyber enabled financial crimes, online radicalization and transnational organized crime networks, are not confined by borders. In an increasingly interconnected world, the importance of international police cooperation cannot be overstated”.

Mohan emphasized the need for close co-ordination and real time cooperation among law enforcement agencies globally in wake of threats posed by terrorism, transnational organized crime networks, online radicalization, illicit flow of drugs, arms peddling, cyber crime, online child sexual exploitation and other such factors.

He stressed that the safe havens for crime, proceeds of crime and terrorism anywhere in the world, pose a serious threat to every country.

He further dwelled upon the importance of combating crimes including terrorism and quoted from the address of Union Home Minister during the closing Session of 90th INTERPOL General Assembly, who had emphatically stated, “I firmly believe that terrorism is the biggest violation of human rights”.

Elaborating on recent initiatives for International Police co-operation, he stated that with approval of MHA a working arrangement with EUROPOL was signed by CBI in March, 2024 to strengthen law enforcement cooperation between India and EU.

He also underlined the significance of Global Operation Centre, set-up by CBI in 2022 and stated that this centre is handling 200-300 requests for assistance including both incoming and outgoing on a daily basis.

During his address on the occasion, CBI Director Praveen Sood stated that, “The world today faces a multitude of grave and globalized poly-crimes and threats like terrorism, online radicalization, cyber enabled financial crimes, online child sexual exploitation, corruption, drug trafficking, terror financing and organized crime.”

He added, “Police in India have been at the forefront of addressing these challenges through a combination of robust legal framework, innovative initiatives, leveraging technology and proactive international cooperation.”

The CBI chief further said that law enforcement professionals need to be well acquainted with various means of coordinating international assistance in criminal matters.

Emphasizing the need for international co-operation in the light of technology enabled offences becoming more prevalent, he stated, “Criminal are no longer constrained by borders, and neither should our efforts to combat them”.

This year’s ILO’s conference has been organized on the theme ‘Strengthening International Law Enforcement Partnerships’, by the CBI on the eve of the upcoming UN International Day of Police Cooperation.

The inaugural session was joined virtually by law enforcement personnel across India and across member countries of INTERPOL, EUROPOL and GloBE Network.

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