Criminal Investigation Bureau headquarters in Taipei City’s Xinyi District (Photo by Pang Chia-shan)
 

Taiwan Can Help achieve a seamless global security network.

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) headquartered in Lyon, France, is the world’s largest police organization, comprising 194 member states cooperating on law enforcement with the goal of making the world a safer place to live. Law enforcement officers from these countries are connected via a global police communications system known as I-24/7, which allows authorized users to share information with counterparts worldwide 24 hours a day all year round.

I-24/7 gives investigators real time access to criminal databases containing names, DNA profiles and fingerprints as well as stolen and lost travel documents. Its contents are only accessible to INTERPOL members, who meet annually for the organization’s decision-making body, the General Assembly. The 89th edition is scheduled for December in United Arab Emirates.

Taiwan is not a member of the organization and is consequently shut out from all its related activities, mechanisms and meetings. This year, Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) under the National Police Agency (NPA) is rallying support for the country’s attendance as an observer at the INTERPOL General Assembly and calling for direct access to the I-24/7 system in order to help the nation deal with cross-border crime, CIB Commissioner Huang Ming-chao (黃明昭) said.

Backing for the country’s bid has continued to grow, with 11 diplomatic allies sending letters last year to INTERPOL President Kim Jong Yang voicing their support, and a further six speaking up for Taiwan at the General Assembly. Their voices have been supplemented by statements of support from like-minded partners such as Germany and the U.S.
 

CIB Commissioner Huang Ming-chao inspects a group of officers. (Photo by Pang Chia-shan)
 

Political Decision

Since the People’s Republic of China joined INTERPOL in 1984 on the condition that representatives from Taiwan be excluded, it has had a growing influence on the organization’s agenda and workings. In 2018, the secretariat asked Taiwan to deal with all participation requests through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Beijing while downgrading the CIB to a local branch. Such moves, Huang said, disregard the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign country in a key strategic location that makes considerable contributions to fighting cross-border crime.

“We’re in constant communication with our allies and like-minded partners, who have made it clear to INTERPOL that only the democratically elected government of Taiwan has the right to represent the country in international organizations,” Huang said. “Politics shouldn’t interfere with police work, and the government calls on INTERPOL to propose a path forward that incorporates Taiwan into the global security network as soon as possible.”

According to Huang, one of the main benefits of cooperation between different countries’ police forces comes from tackling organized crime such as drug and human trafficking. The transnational nature of these networks poses a challenge for law enforcement agencies, with crimes often occurring in multiple jurisdictions and fugitives moving from one country to the next.

In response to exclusion from both the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime and INTERPOL systems, the CIB has sent police officers to 13 countries and territories to strengthen links with other nations’ security agencies, namely in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S. and Vietnam. Officers stationed abroad are responsible for coordinating with local law enforcement on a bilateral or multilateral basis.
 

Attendees show their enthusiasm at last year’s International Forum on Police Cooperation in Taipei. (Photo courtesy of Criminal Investigation Bureau)
 

Global Partnerships

One such officer was Huang Wen-chih (黃文志). He was sent to Vietnam’s southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City in 2008 as a CIB police liaison attache before returning to Taipei City three years later to work for the bureau’s International Criminal Affairs Division (ICAD). Established in 1979 as NCB Taipei, ICAD previously served as Taiwan’s designated INTERPOL contact point and is charged with overseeing international collaboration efforts. Huang now passes on his experience through his position as an assistant professor in the Department of Border Police at Central Police University (CPU) in the northern metropolis of Taoyuan.

“Globalization has led to the rapid movement of people and goods across borders, which poses challenges for individual police forces,” Huang said. “Criminals can be organized and armed in one location while conducting offenses such as trafficking, money laundering and telecommunications fraud in another.”

Mon Wei-teh (孟維德), a professor at CPU’s Department of Foreign Affairs Police, argues this shift in criminal activity proves the need to strengthen international judicial cooperation. “We have to stay one step ahead of increasingly agile and smart organized crime groups who are adept at shifting operations,” he said.

According to Mon, in addition to seeking membership of INTERPOL, Taiwan should forge a closer relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations National Police, or ASEANAPOL, headquartered in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur. Such a move would align with government efforts to strengthen ties with Southeast Asia as part of the flagship New Southbound Policy (NSP), he said.

A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the NSP seeks to deepen Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties with the 10 ASEAN member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.

Exchanges between Taiwan police officers and their counterparts from other countries and territories are not just limited to those that occur during postings abroad. Domestic events bringing together experts on law enforcement are also well attended by delegations from groups such as U.S.-based International Association of Chiefs of Police, which visited Taipei two years ago for the annual International Forum on Police Cooperation (IFPC) co-hosted by Taiwan’s NPA and CIB. Focused on combating transnational telecommunications fraud, the 2018 edition was attended by a total of 127 officials from 38 countries and territories. The latest event was held in Taipei last September.

The prestige of the IFPC continues to grow thanks to a planned partnership with the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF). Jointly administered by Taiwan’s government alongside the American Institute in Taiwan and Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, the GCTF serves as a platform for experts from participating countries and territories to share their experience and knowledge across a wide range of fields.

This development is welcomed by CIB Commissioner Huang, who believes it clearly demonstrates the local police force’s ability to work alongside other nations when undertaking criminal investigations. “There’s no doubt Taiwan would also be a reliable member of INTERPOL,” he said. “When given the chance, we can help bring about a safer world.”