The 5th ASEAN POLICE FORENSIC SCIENCE NETWORK (APFSN) MEETING 2023

After three (3) years onset of devastating pandemic of COVID-19 since year 2020, the 5^th ASEAN Police Forensic Science Network (APFSN) meeting finally resumed to its normalcy on 24^th until 25^th May 2023 in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. As mandated during the previous 40^th ASEANAPOL Conference in the year 2022 for all ASEAN Police Forces through its dedicated board called Disaster Victims Identification (DVI) / Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Committee in finalizing the outlined documents i.e Terms of Reference (TOR) & Guidelines of DVI/CSI under the auspices of APFSN platform, the two (2) days meeting saw the full attendance of ASEANAPOL Member Countries (AMCs) in deliberating both documents in the most equitably motion.

The meeting was commenced with opening remark by the Honourable Chairman of the meeting, Pol. Brigadier General You Boren, Head of NCB/INTERPOL Phnom Penh, General Commissariat of National Police, Ministry of Interior, Kingdom of Cambodia. Conforming with the theme of the meeting, the agenda which was sketch out is intended to steer the future direction of forensic network by establishing the outlined documents with the full effort amongst the AMCs in ensuring the effective implementation of the adopted resolution which was previously agreed through consensus during the concluded conference which was successfully held last year.

Pursue to the meeting sequence, Superintendent of Police Saravanan Kanniappan from Royal Malaysia Police who acted as the Chairperson of DVI/CSI Committee then was invited to remit a message towards the development of the dedicat ed documents. He foregrounds the essential elements of close coordination between the ASEAN Police Forces towards the preparedness in adherence to the unprecedented catastrophic disaster such as natural calamity or large – scale criminal incident. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the reciprocation by AMCs should be in the efficient, harmonize and well - coordinated manner. To conclude, on behalf of Royal Malaysia Police, he expressed his sincere gratitude to the ASEANAPOL Secretariat for entrusting Malaysia in carrying the responsibility in leading the development of the afore-mentioned documents. Considering that the task which were mandated was a critical step in strengthening the aspect of interoperability and mutual understanding, Royal Malaysia Police reiterated the passion in establishing the framework for seamless collaboration in providing safeguard and well-being of ASEAN communities.

In respond to the aspiration highlighted during the earliest remarks by the Chairman of the meeting and Chairperson of the Committee, Police Services Officer II of ASEANAPOL Secretariat (AS), Assistant Superintendent Khairul Izham anticipated for the constructive, fair and advantageous deliberation amongst the working committee members throughout the outlined agenda in assuring the meeting objective and its goals are achievable. The meeting then endured with presentation of the 2^nd draft of TOR followed by the Guidelines of DVI/ CSI by the Chairperson of the Committee and assisted by AS took place whereby all the eminent attendees contributed their inventive and discerning comments / inputs through a fair deliberation which escalate the needs in the process of validates the outlines documents during the upcoming ASEANAPOL Conference.

In the effort of enhancing the regional police cooperation towards fostering the cooperation amongst the practitioner of DVI/CSI in the region and to increase the mechanism of communication in the area of forensic science by focusing on the field of DVI/CSI, the meeting in consensus reiterated the necessity in retains a coordinated response towards mitigating the disaster inevitable impact was timely whilst revamp the national and its territorial preparedness.