Singapore, 23 November 2018. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL delivered a joint training session from 20 to 23 November 2018 at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation, Singapore.

The UNODC-INTERPOL Study Tour and Strategic Analysis Workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of Pakistani agencies to proactively identify and respond to security threats posed by terrorist groups. 

Twenty senior counter terrorism officials attended: from the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Counter Terrorism (CT) Division Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Counter Terrorism Departments (CTDs) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police. This was the first time a high-level delegation from Pakistan visited INTERPOL, highlighting Pakistan's commitment to international cooperation to combat terrorist threats.

The session was carried out within the framework of Pakistan's Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) Project funded by the European Union, and INTERPOL's Project SCORPIUS funded by the Government of Canada, against terrorism and related transnational crimes.  

As part of the training, participants were introduced to INTERPOL's Criminal Information System, legal framework, notices, databases, and criminal analysis files; with an emphasis on counter terrorism and related transnational crime, as well as on international cooperation through INTERPOL channels. Participants were also taken on a tour of INTERPOL facilities including the Command and Coordination Centre, Digital Forensic Laboratory, and Cyber Fusion Centre. 

The training was carried out with the support of instructors from King's College London, Nanyang Technological University, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) London, Singapore Police Force, and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).

Prof. Rohan Gunaratna of Nanyang Technological University discussed a robust model for the rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorists into society, and provided illustrative examples of the growing importance of open-source research techniques.

UNODC Consultant Mr. Simon Welch, a former Police Officer from the UK, illustrated global and regional trends in the field of terrorist financing, and presented a complementary series of investigative techniques for law enforcement to mitigate these threats. Professor Antonio Guistozzi of King's College London provided expert analysis on the current threat posed to international security by IS/Daish.

Mr. Leif Villadsen from UNICRI provided an analytical framework for understanding the nexus between organized crime and terrorism; following which Mr. Raffaello Pantucci of RUSI delivered a presentation on open-source research and analysis.  Mr. David Thorne, from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, presented a template which NACTA and CTDs can use to perform group profiling of terrorist organizations in their development of threat assessments.

The group toured the training facilities of the Singapore Home Team Academy, where Singapore law enforcement representatives showcased cutting-edge police training systems.

The training concluded with a Strategic Analysis Workshop and practical exercise, facilitated by Brigadier (R) Khalid Saleem, senior National Consultant at UNODC Pakistan. During the analysis exercise participants were divided into two groups and given a hypothetical scenario to identify potential threats posed by terrorist organizations to Pakistan.

This training was a follow-up activity to the workshop 'Proactive Approach to Counter Terrorism' delivered by UNODC with the participation of INTERPOL's Project SCORPIUS in Islamabad from 11 to 13 April 2018.

I would like to thank UNODC for working together with INTERPOL in increasing international security to protect citizens and nations from potential threats. Cooperation between organizations is indispensable to move forward while using available resources in the most efficient way', said Mr. Harold O'Connell, Acting Executive Director INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation, at the closing ceremony.

UNODC Country Representative to Pakistan Mr. Cesar Guedes noted that 'We are glad to have collaborated with INTERPOL on this occasion, to foster greater international cooperation, and to improve Pakistan's capacity to proactively counter the threats posed by terrorism through a multilateral approach'.

Also present at the ceremony were H.E. Ms. Lynn McDonald, High Commissioner of Canada to Singapore; Ms. Vivien Gross, delegate of the European Union to Singapore; and Brigadier Imran Mushtaq of NACTA Pakistan. They likewise lauded this joint UNODC-INTERPOL initiative.

The collaboration was in line with the Joint Action Plan between INTERPOL and UNODC covering six common areas viz. terrorism, illicit trafficking and organized crime, cybercrime, maritime and border security, forensic and criminal justice capacity, and institutional capacity.

https://nacta.gov.pk/study-tour-and-workshop-for-high-level-ct-officials-from-pakistan/