Union home secy inaugurates 10th INTERPOL Liaison Officers’ Conf
NEW DELHI: The 10th INTERPOL Liaison Officers (ILO) Conference, organised by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was inaugurated on Thursday by Govind Mohan, the Union Home Secretary of India, at the CBI Headquarters in New Delhi.
The conference, themed “Strengthening International Law Enforcement Partnerships,” aligns with the upcoming UN International Day of Police Cooperation.
In his inaugural address, Govind Mohan highlighted the importance of international police cooperation in tackling the challenges posed by technology-enabled crimes that transcend borders.
He stressed the critical need for real-time international cooperation to combat transnational and organised crimes, emphasising that crimes such as cyber-enabled financial crimes, online radicalisation, and transnational organised crime networks are no longer confined by borders.
“The international dispersal of crime and criminals has enhanced the need for investigation abroad. Prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of crime increasingly rely on digital and foreign-located evidence,” said Mohan.
Adding further, he said that there is a need for close coordination and real-time cooperation among global law enforcement agencies to address threats posed by terrorism, organised crime networks, illicit drug flows, arms peddling, cybercrime, human trafficking, economic offences, and more.
Govind Mohan also touched upon India’s long-standing involvement with INTERPOL, noting that India has been an active member since 1949, hosting multiple INTERPOL General Assembly sessions and various 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, which are all aimed at enhancing global police cooperation.
During the conference, CBI Director Praveen Sood highlighted the global challenges posed by poly-crimes such as terrorism, online radicalisation, cyber-enabled financial crimes, and organised crime.
He emphasised the importance of leveraging technology and international cooperation to effectively combat these threats, noting that the CBI’s Global Operation Centre has handled over 17,000 international assistance requests in 2023 alone and has issued a record 100 red notices for criminals and
fugitives wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies.
