Interpol launches Virtual Academy to support police learning during COVID-19

Badged as a cutting-edge digital learning platform, the Virtual Academy will provide more than 100 self-paced courses, interactive certified instructor-led modules and webinars for the global law enforcement community operational in Interpol’s 194 member countries.

Subjects include cryptocurrencies, drones, digital forensics, cyber crime, The Darknet, counter-terrorism and organised crime as well as updates on Interpol policing capabilities.

The Virtual Academy is designed to complement the physical Interpol Global Academy network launched in May last year. The Global Academy is a network of trusted law enforcement education institutions providing a global approach to law enforcement training through both face-to-face and distance learning on Interpol tools and services, as well as transnational crime topics.

Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock has stated that the creation of the Virtual Academy underlines the organisation’s ongoing commitment to ensuring police officers around the world can access high-level training at all times.

“The COVID 19 pandemic is forcing law enforcement to learn precious lessons, and fast, in a changed international security environment,” asserted Stock. “However, while we are seeing significant growth in certain crimes areas linked to COVID-19 such as fraud and cyber crime, police services still have to deal with all forms of transnational crime and terrorism. The Virtual Academy provides a wide range of courses which are essential in helping law enforcement in their daily work to learn from world class training professionals.”

Accessible through Interpol’s secure communications platform, any law enforcement official can request credentials to access the range of products provided by the Virtual Academy. This is aimed at guaranteeing global accessibility to ensure new skills and knowledge can reach those who most need it an when they need it.

Last year, more than 15,000 online training courses were completed by global law enforcement, complementing its face-to-face sessions which reached around 5,000 officers from across the globe. These sessions encompassed topics ranging from counter-terrorism and cyber crime through to training on leadership for women in law enforcement and Human Rights in policing.