Editorial | Interpol event will enable Hong Kong to bolster global crime-fighting ties
As host of Interpol’s 94th general assembly, the city will be able to show that its ‘superconnector’ role extends to international law enforcement
Despite intensifying geopolitical tensions and shifting diplomacy, no place can stay isolated as organised crime continues to transcend borders in new ways. The need for concerted global cooperation to fight it has grown as technology enables increasingly sophisticated and complex plots that make enforcement difficult.
In this regard, Hong Kong has rightly stepped forward to host Interpol’s top annual meeting in November for the first time. The 94th general assembly will draw attendees from 196 member states to discuss international policing issues and foster collaboration.
This is more than just a symbolic way for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to show its commitment and responsibility in relation to international collaboration on security and law enforcement under the principle of “one country, two systems”. As a global financial centre and an open port which offers the freedom to travel and the free flow of capital and information, the city must stay vigilant about the latest trends in cross-border crime and step up collaboration with overseas counterparts on intelligence exchange and law enforcement.
During the last assembly in Morocco, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming met law enforcement agency representatives from 15 countries across Asia, Europe and Oceania to discuss collaboration against transnational crimes and other projects. They include Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea. The city was looking to expand ties with Association of Southeast Asian Nations members or countries in the Belt and Road Initiative, Chow said.
In another positive development, the force’s cross-border anti-scam platform Frontier+ – which has 10 member countries – will be joined by South Africa, Dubai and Brunei. The alliance, which provides a platform for freezing funds and intelligence exchange on cross-border scams, intercepted more than HK$157 million (US$20 million) and arrested 1,800 people across seven Asian jurisdictions in a joint crackdown last year. The coming meeting is an important occasion to highlight the city’s “superconnector” role in international law enforcement and cooperation.