A five-day training course aimed at building the capacity of countries in southeast Asia to address border management issues tied to illicit immigration and human trafficking was recently hosted by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) at its Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) in Singapore.
Originally launched in October 2015, the European Union (EU) – Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Migration and Border Management Program II was developed in order to support Southeast Asian countries in their implementation of Interpol’s master plan on ASEAN connectivity.
Specifically, the program assists in improving people-to-people connectivity by strengthening law enforcement networks and partnerships at transit hubs, while easing visa requirements for ASEAN and non-ASEAN nationals in the area.
Participant training included courses on Interpol’s I-24/7 secure police communications system, international notices alerts, digital forensics, human trafficking investigative techniques, interviewing methods, legal frameworks, and global databases for lost or stolen travel documents.
“The EU-ASEAN Migration and Border Management Program II deals with some of the greatest challenges of our times – including the growing movement of people crossing borders, which in an ever more global and connected world offers fantastic opportunities for trade, economic growth, human development, cultural exchanges and travel,” Harold O’Connell, director of Capacity Building and Training at Interpol, said.
“However, it also presents challenges and risks such as human trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime and terrorism,” he said.
The course brought together approximately 20 participants representing nine ASEAN member states and was the seventh event under the EU-ASEAN program and the first hosted at the IGCI.