ASEANAPOL Secretariat Executive Director Engages in the Eighth INTERPOL Dialogue on Multilateral Policing Against Global Threats

From October 9 to 10, 2024, in Bridgetown, Barbados, Police Colonel David Martinez Vinluan, Executive Director of the ASEANAPOL Secretariat, actively participated in the Eig hth Edition of the INTERPOL Dialogue on an Effective Multilateral Policing Architecture Against Global Threats. The event was held under the theme “Integrated Security Architecture: Multilateral Action for a Safer World.”

Co-hosted by INTERPOL and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), this prestigious event brought together key regional police organizations, including: African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), The Arab Interior Ministers' Council (AIMC), Police Community of the Americas (AMERIPOL), Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL), European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX), and Gulf Cooperation Council-POL (GCCPOL).

The opening ceremony featured notable keynote speakers, including Major General Ahmed Nase Al-Rashi, President of INTERPOL; Mr. Jürgen Stock, Secretary General of INTERPOL; Hon. Dale Marshall, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of Barbados; and Lt. Col. Michael Jones, Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS.

Launched in 2016, the INTERPOL Dialogue serves as a strategic platform to unite regional police organizations from across the globe, facilitating discussions on the evolving global security landscape. By promoting collaboration at both senior management and working levels, the Dialogue aims to enhance mutual cooperation, the sharing of intelligence and best practices, and the avoidance of duplication among international law enforcement bodies.

Executive Director Vinluan highlighted ASEANAPOL’s core mission and vision, focusing on the organization’s efforts to combat 10 key transnational crimes: illicit drug trafficking, terrorism, arms smuggling, human trafficking/trafficking in persons, maritime fraud, wildlife crime, commercial crime (including bank offenses and credit card fraud), fraudulent documents, and transnational fraud. He emphasized the increasingly borderless nature of transnational crime, driven by rapid advancements in information technology and artificial intelligence, and stressed the need for a unified multilateral strategy to effectively counter these global threats.

As the Dialogue concluded, participants collaborated on finalizing the draft of the “Bridgetown Joint Declaration,” a landmark document shaped by input from all participating regional police organizations. This declaration is set to be ratified at the 92nd INTERPOL General Assembly, scheduled for November 4 to 7, 2024, in Glasgow, UK, marking a significant step toward strengthening global policing cooperation in the face of emerging threats.

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