THE Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership headed by General Benjamin Acorda Jr. has underscored anew its commitment to provide full support to other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Police (ASEANAPOL) when it comes to fighting transnational crimes.

During the 41st ASEANAPOL Conference in Lao People’s Democratic Republic last week, the PNP delegation reechoed their commitment to contribute their resources and expertise to effectively thwart organized and emerging international criminal enterprises for a much safer ASEAN community.

Apart from The Philippines, the other members of ASEANAPOL are police forces from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The October 16-19 conference saw PNP officials which include Major Gen. Eric E. Noble of the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management and PNP Director for Plans, Brigadier Gen. Neil B. Alinsangan meeting with their counterparts and dialogue partners to foster unity and cooperation in addressing key regional challenges.

Noble presented a PNP paper on fighting Maritime Fraud, Cybercrimes, Commercial Crimes, Transnational Fraud and Fraudulent Travel Documents.

He said that the combined efforts of police agencies from ASEAN Member Countries and Dialogue Partners have been actively addressing the challenges posed by transnational crimes in the region.

According to the official, PNP expert working groups have been tasked to conceptualize and formulate action plans by the ASEANAPOL member-countries to further enhance international cooperation, efforts, and capabilities.

Their discussions centered on innovative approaches to tackle emerging challenges, improve information-sharing mechanisms and strengthen collaboration among law enforcement agencies.

The action plans encompasses initiatives to strengthen cross-border cooperation, implement advanced technology solutions and bolster intelligence-sharing networks to respond to criminal activities in the region more effectively, Noble said.

At the end of the summit, the participating countries and dialogue partners demonstrated a strong commitment to work together to achieve common goals.

The 41st ASEANAPOL delegates and other participants met in Vientiane to better enhance their partnership in the promotion of peace, security and stability, as well as to step up cooperation in tackling transnational crimes such as drug smuggling, terrorism, human trafficking and weapons trade in Southeast Asia.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security Vilay Lakhamfong said the 41st ASEANAPOL Conference takes place in an environment with both facilities and many challenges.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon