At UN summit, Pakistan urges stronger global policing cooperation against terrorism

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday told the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit (UNCOPS) that no country was safe from crimes such as terrorism at the UN General Assembly in New York City.

The two-day event drew interior ministers, police chiefs, and UN officials to address transnational crime, evolving security threats, and how national forces can work with UN Police operations.

“Terrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking, human smuggling, money laundering affect all of us,” Naqvi added, “no country is safe from them, and no country can deal with them alone.”

Naqvi spoke as a panelist at the fifth UNCOPS during the session titled, "Enhancing International Cooperation to Address Transnational Challenges."

The minister called for greater “international cooperation” between states to “address common security challenges” that, he said, did not stop at national borders.

At home, Naqvi is also responsible for promoting greater international cooperation among law enforcement agencies and for sending police officers abroad for training and foreign postings.

“We must work together and must share information quickly,” Naqvi said as he called for “stronger partnerships between law enforcement agencies” around the world.

Naqvi also highlighted the need for police forces to adapt to technological changes, warning that criminals were using new technologies to commit crimes.

“Technology is changing very fast. Criminals are using new technology to commit crimes,” he said. “So we must also use modern technology to prevent them.”

While addressing the national police bureau in Pakistan last May, Naqvi directed officials to procure the latest software for research and analysis to ensure effective assessment of crime trends across different regions of the country.

The minister has spent two days in the US, attending the UNCOPS, where he held bilateral meetings with UN Secretary General António Guterres, who appreciated Pakistan’s role in mediating the conflict in the Middle East.

Naqvi also met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Alexandrovich Kolokoltsev, on the sidelines of the summit. The two agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between their ministries to further bilateral cooperation.

Concluding his remarks, the minister thanked the UN for bringing together participants with a common purpose of making countries safer, protecting people, and strengthening “peace and security around the world.”