Interpol gathers regional policing body leaders to discuss COVID-19 security challenges

The fourth edition of the ‘Interpol Dialogue on an Effective Multilateral Policing Architecture Against Global Threats’ saw fruitful discussions among the participating organisations on how COVID-19 is affecting the security landscape. Those who took part in the 20 May event included AFRIPOL, Ameripol, the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council, ASEANAPOL, the Economic Co-operation Organisation, Europol, Frontex (the European Border and Coast Guard Agency), the Gulf Co-operation Council-POL and, of course, Interpol itself.

The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime also took part in the meeting as observers.

A global threat assessment issued by Interpol back in April outlined the ‘crime lifecycle’ linked to COVID-19, as well as Best Practice and measures designed to mitigate the effects of these crimes, which were discussed during the virtual ‘dialogue’ meeting.

While cyber crime and cyber-enabled crimes have received widespread attention, the pandemic has also been exploited by terrorists and organised crime groups.

With mafia organisations already invested in essential activities such as the agro-food sector, road transport, cleaning services and waste disposal, the increased likelihood of their further infiltrating the legitimate economy is a significant threat.

What happens post-vaccine?

In addition, when life-saving products or a vaccine are available, demand will soar resulting in a parallel increase in theft and counterfeiting of these important medicines.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated there is a clear nexus between global heath and global security,” said Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock. “The need for law enforcement co-operation to keep pace with these evolving and unexpected threats has never been greater. Through efforts such as the ‘dialogue’ meeting which promote knowledge exchange and continuous discourse on a global level, we can present a united front against the changing security landscape,”

Due to the inherent cross-border nature of the changing criminal threats arising from the virus outbreak and related control measures, the participants reaffirmed the importance of multilateral law enforcement co-operation as being critical in times of emergency.

A joint declaration endorsed by the participating organisations sets out a roadmap for co-ordinating the exchange of information on COVID-19 related threats and the strategic and operational challenges posed by the virus outbreak. Opportunities for enhanced collaboration following the end of the outbreak were also defined.