Agreement on crisis management a boost for intelligence-sharing and assistance during attacks.
Police chiefs from the ten countries of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a historic pact first
tabled a decade ago that will speed up the distribution of information,
intelligence and assistance in times of crisis.
In what was dubbed a historic development, the
delegates at the 36th ASEANAPOL Conference in the Malaysian capital of Kuala
Lumpur signed the ASEAN Communication and Coordination Protocol for Crisis
Management (ACCPCM) after ten years of discussions. The move came as countries
in the region – most notably Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines
– have grown increasingly alarmed at the rising threat of terrorism from the
Islamic State.
According to Malaysian Inspector-General Khalid Abu
Bakar, the signing of ACCPCM would be a boost for the distribution of
information, intelligence and assistance during events such as large-scale acts
of terrorism which could result in mass casualties or the destruction of
infrastructure.
If a terrorist attack were to occur, Khalid said in
remarks at the closing of the ASEANAPOL conference, the affected country can
request help from another member country, with technical aid including force
blast experts or investigative personnel.
Beyond ACCPCM, Khalid also announced that cooperation
under the Police Forensic Science Network would begin soon with the first
meeting hosted in Malaysia. Other notable efforts include the signing of a
letter of intent on cooperation between ASEANAPOL and the European Police
(EUROPOL).
In addition to the ten ASEAN countries, the meeting
was also attended by nine other partner delegations including Australia, Japan,
South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, Turkey and Interpol, as well as East Timor,
the United Kingdom, Europol and the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC). Among the topics of discussion were the unlawful possession of
firearms, wildlife trafficking, and money laundering.
ASEANAPOL was first convened in 1981. Since then,
meetings have focused on a wide range of areas, including illicit drugs,
terrorism, arms smuggling, human trafficking, commercial crime, bank offenses
and credit card fraud, and cybercrime.
The ASEANAPOL Secretariat is based in Kuala Lumpur,
and the signing of the ACCPCM could see greater coordination between command
centers in each ASEAN country.
Singapore will host the next 37th ASEANAPOL conference
after Malaysia.
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