COURSE TITLE: COMPARATIVE MODELS OF POLICING

COURSE NO.: LEA 131

IM NO. 6

I. CHAPTER TITLE: EUROPOL and ASEANAPOL

II. LESSON TITLE

a. History
b. Role of EUROPOL and ASEANAPOL in Crime Control

III. LESSON OVERVIEW

This chapter discusses the history of the EUROPOL as well as the ASEANAPOL. It also
presents their role in crime control.

IV. LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Gain an overview about the history of EUROPOL and ASEANAPOL ; and
2. Identify the roles of EUROPOL and ASEANAPOL in crime control.

VI. LESSON PROPER

A. EUROPOL

The European Police Office (Europol) is one of the most ambitious European projects in the
area of Justice and Home Affairs cooperation. It was created as a response to the ever-increasing
dimension of criminal and terrorist networks, which perpetrate their illicit activities at transnational
level posing a significant threat to the internal security of all the European countries as well as to the
safety of their citizens. Europol is an international organization with legal personality headquartered
in The Hague, Netherlands which can be considered the European Union’s law enforcement body.

It is controlled by a Management Board, which is formed by one representative from each

member state and an additional one from the European Commission. However, Europol’s day-to-
day management is in the hands of a Director and three Deputy Directors.

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, better known under the
name Europol, formerly the European Police Office and Europol Drugs Unit, is the law enforcement
agency of the European Union (EU) formed in 1998 to handle criminal intelligence and combat serious
international organized crime and terrorism through cooperation between competent authorities of EU
member states. The Agency has no executive powers, and its officials are not entitled to arrest suspects
or act without prior approval from competent authorities in the member states

Catherine De Bolle (born 17 February 1970) is the executive director of Europol, succeeding Rob
Wainwright whose term expired on 1 May 2018.
EUROPOL AND CRIME CONTROL

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) is the EU’s law
enforcement agency, whose remit is to help make Europe safer by assisting law enforcement
authorities in EU member countries.

What it does?
Benefiting from its central position in the European security architecture, Europol offers a unique
range of services:
-support for law enforcement operations on the ground
-a hub for information on criminal activities
-a centre of law enforcement expertise.

Europol employs some 100 criminal analysts who are among the best-trained in Europe.
This gives it one of the largest concentrations of analytical capability in the EU. Analysts use
state-of-the-art tools to support national agencies' investigations on a daily basis.
To give national partners a deeper insight into the criminal problems they face, Europol
produces regular long-term analyses of crime and terrorism.

Structure:

Europol is headed by a Director, who is Europol’s legal representative and appointed by the
EU Council.
Europol’s Management Board gives strategic guidance and oversees the implementation of
Europol’s tasks. It comprises one high-ranking representative from each EU country and the
European Commission.
Each country has a Europol National Unit, which is the liaison body between Europol and the
other national agencies.

How it works?
Europol’s daily business is based on its strategy. Its specific objectives are set out in
the Europol annual work programme.
In 2010, the EU established a multi-annual policy cycle to ensure effective cooperation
between national law enforcement agencies and other bodies (EU and elsewhere) on serious
international and organised crime.
This cooperation is based on Europol’s Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment
(SOCTA).

Who benefits?
-Law enforcement agencies, who get 24/7 operational support.
-Government departments and private companies working in partnership with Europol.
-EU Member States, supported in their investigations, operational activities and projects to tackle
criminal threats.

Large-scale criminal and terrorist networks pose a significant threat to the internal security of the
EU and to the safety and livelihood of its people. The biggest security threats come from:
 terrorism;
 international drug trafficking and money laundering;
 organized fraud;
 the counterfeiting of euros;
 Trafficking in human beings.
 The networks behind the crimes in each of these areas are quick to seize new opportunities,
and they are resilient in the face of traditional law enforcement measures.
The European security architecture allows to offer a unique range of services and to serve as a:
 support center for law enforcement operations;
 hub for information on criminal activities;
 Center for law enforcement expertise.

Analysis is at the core of the activities. Their criminal analysts are among the best trained in
Europe. They use state-of-the-art tools to support investigations by law enforcement in Member
States on a daily basis.

To give their partners deeper insights into the crimes they are tackling, they produce regular
assessments that offer comprehensive, forward-looking analyses of crime and terrorism in the EU,
including the:

 EU Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (SOCTA), which updates Europe’s
law enforcement community and decision-makers on developments in serious and organized
crime and the threats it poses;
 EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT), which gives a detailed account of the
state of terrorism in the EU;
 Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment (iOCTA), which reports on key findings and
emerging threats and developments in cybercrime;
 Europol Review, an annual publication that details the progress that the organization and
their partners has made in fighting crime.

Through these reports and in other ways, Europol serves as an EU centre of expertise,
providing a central platform for law enforcement experts from the Member States.

International crime and terrorist groups operate worldwide and make use of the latest
technology. To ensure an effective and coordinated response, Europol needs to be equally flexible
and innovative, and to make sure its methods and tools are up to date.

That is why they are home to a number of specialized bodies and bespoke systems.
The bodies are:

 Europol’s operational center, the 24/7 hub for data exchange among Europol, Member
States and third parties;
 the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), which strengthens the law enforcement response to
cybercrime in the EU and thus help protect European citizens, businesses and governments
from online crime;
 the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT), which drives intelligence-led, coordinated
action against key cybercrime threats and top targets by stimulating and facilitating the joint
identification, prioritization, preparation and initiation of investigations;
 the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), an operations centre and hub of expertise
that is a central part of the EU’s efforts to enhance its response to terror;
 the European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC), which supports Member States in
targeting and dismantling the complex and sophisticated criminal networks involved in
migrant smuggling;
 The Intellectual Property Crime Coordinated Coalition (IPC3), which is central to the EU’s
efforts to stem the tide of intellectual property crime within and outside the EU.

Europol's specialized systems, which offer fast and secure capabilities for storing, searching,
visualizing and linking information, thus comprise a sophisticated crime-fighting toolbox, which
include:
  FIU.net, a decentralized and sophisticated computer network supporting the financial
intelligence units (FIUs) in the EU in their fight against money laundering and the financing of
terrorism;
 The Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA), a state-of-the-art platform
that meets the communication needs of EU law enforcement;
 the Europol Platform for Experts (EPE), a secure, collaborative web platform for specialists
working in a variety of law enforcement areas;
 the European Information System, the reference system for offences, the individuals
involved in them, and other related data.

Europol is a high-security operational center that operates non-stop: 24 hours a day, seven days
a week.

Europol officers are always ready to travel at short notice and provide support through our
mobile office. Our presence is also in demand in the fight against illicit drugs, and we have a fully
operational team to help dismantle synthetic drugs laboratories on the spot.

Since Europol can respond flexibly, we focus on different areas of criminal and terrorist
activity from one year to the next, depending on requirements. Our main priorities, however, tend to
remain relatively stable, reflecting those of international criminal and terrorist groups. Over the years
we have built up substantial experience in fighting drug trafficking, illicit immigration
networks and trafficking in human beings, illicit vehicle trafficking, cybercrime, money
laundering and currency forgery. Europol is the central European office for combatting euro
counterfeiting.

Europol enjoys excellent cooperative arrangements with law enforcement partners in Europe
and beyond. It also values its accountability arrangements which are among the most robust and
transparent in the world.

B. ASEANAPOL

ASEANAPOL is the organization of the ASEAN Chiefs of National Police.

The first formal meeting of the Chiefs of ASEAN Police was held in Manila, Philippines on
the 21 to 23 October 1981.This is to discuss matters of law enforcement and crime control. This
annual meeting was called ASEANAPOL Conference. The basic requirement for a country to
become a member of ASEANAPOL is that the country shall first be a member of ASEAN and the
application shall be tabled at the conference for approval. The members of ASEANAPOL were
originally Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. 1984, Royal Brunei Police
joined the conference for the 1st time.1996, The Republic of Vietnam National Police joined the
conference. In 1998, Laos General Department of Police and Myanmar police force joined the
conference. In 2000, Cambodia National Police joined the conference. The current members of
ASEANAPOL are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People Democratic Republic, Malaysia,
Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Secretariat of ASEANAPOL was on a rotational basis with member countries taking
turns to host the ASEANAPOL Conference and automatically assume the role of the secretariat for
the current year.

The 25th Joint Communique signed by the ASEAN Chiefs of Police during the 25th
ASEANAPOL Conference held in Bali, Indonesia, expressly stated the need to establish a
Permanent ASEANAPOL Secretariat.
Objectives of the establishment of a Permanent Secretariat:

 To harmonize and standardize coordination and communication mechanisms amongst

ASEAN police institutions;
 To conduct a comprehensive and integrative study concerning the resolutions agreed in the
ASEANAPOL Joint Communiqués
 To establish a mechanism with responsibility to monitor and follow up the implementation of
resolutions in the Joint Communiqués; and
 To transform the resolutions adopted in the Joint Communiqués into ASEANAPOL Plan of
Action and its work program

The working group which was set up to consider the viability of the permanent ASEANAPOL
Secretariat finalized that:

1. The Secretariat shall be administrated based on the Terms of Reference;

2. The Head of the Secretariat is an Executive Director and he is assisted by 2 Directors

The tenure of services are:

Executive Director - 2 years
Directors - 2 to 3 years

 During the 29th ASEANAPOL Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2009, the Terms of
Reference on the establishment of ASEANAPOL Secretariat was endorsed. Kuala Lumpur
was made the permanent seat for the Secretariat.
 The ASEANAPOL Secretariat was fully operational from the 1st January 2010.

OBJECTIVES:

 Ensure the effective implementation of all resolutions adopted at the ASEANAPOL

Conferences;
 Serve as a coordination and communication mechanism to allow members to establish and
to maintain all channels of interaction amongst members;
 Foster mutual assistance and cooperation amongst members; and
 Endeavour to increase regional cooperation efforts against transnational crime.

FUNCTIONS

 Prepare and implement work plans for effective implementation of all the resolutions
adopted in the annual Joint Communiqués signed at the ASEANAPOL Conferences;
 Facilitate and coordinate cross-border cooperation on intelligence and information sharing
and exchange;
 Facilitate and coordinate joint operations and activities involving criminal investigations, the
building and maintenance of the ASEANAPOL database, training, capacity building, the
development of scientific investigative tools, technical support and forensic science;
 Provide support and necessary assistance in organizing the ASEANAPOL Conferences;
 Submit on a quarterly basis to the Chiefs of ASEAN Police Forces proposals on all planned
programmed and activities to be carried out;
 Prepare an annual report on its activities and expenditure to be presented to the
ASEANAPOL Executive Committee immediately before the ASEANAPOL Conference, and
distributed to all members and to the ASEANAPOL Conference; and;
 Act as a custodian of all documents and records of ASEANAPOL