Countries need to cooperate more closely with one another to effectively tackle transnational crime and terrorism, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Monday.
He said that by sharing intelligence, watching for international fugitives and conducting joint enforcement actions, global crime and terrorism could be prevented.
Speaking at the inaugural five-day Iinterpol-United Nations Ministerial Meeting and the 78th Interpol General Assembly here, Lee said globalisation which had brought untold benefits to countries worldwide had also globalised crime.
The same modern-day technologies and techniques which improved people's lives were as easily applied to more sinister ends, he said, adding that "jihadist terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and cybercrime are all global in scale and transnational in nature."
Lee said criminals now could move around more easily and run transnational operations, often directing crime from offshore bases, using modern communications tools to exchange information, coordinate their operations, and even sharing "best crime practices".
The prime minister said that to deal with these new crimes and more sophisticated criminals, police authorities worldwide had to be smarter and better equipped with the latest technologies to always stay one step ahead of them.
The contest between police and criminals was never-ending, Lee said quoting a Chinese saying, "when good gains a foot, evil adds a yard" to describe the interminable situation.
He detailed how jihadist terrorists had evolved their malevolent plans in response to security action, from driving car bombs into military installations to attacking soft targets such as hotels, and smuggling and assembling bombs in hotel rooms.
Lee also said that besides fighting crime, police role in international peacekeeping was gaining importance as failed states could become breeding grounds for international terrorism or bases for transnational criminal organisations.
Hence, the prime minister said, Singapore supported the partnership of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UN DPKO) and Interpol, which inked their partnership agreement here yesterday, to bring the role of police peacekeepers to the forefront of the international security agenda.
The number of police officers deployed in peace-keeping operations worldwide has increased from just over 100 in 1964 to more than 12,000 now.