• Thursday, February 06,2025

GCC-European Criminal Investigation Directors-General Wrap Up First Meeting in Abu Dhabi

The inaugural meeting of the GCC-European Directors-General of Criminal Investigations concluded today in Abu Dhabi. Hosted by the UAE Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the GCC Secretariat, the European Union, Europol, and the GCC Police Service, the event saw broad participation from regional and international specialists and representatives of European nations.
Stepping Up Global Cooperation in Crime Prevention
Over two days, discussions revolved around financial and cybercrime, emphasizing the need for strengthened international cooperation. Participants explored ways to enhance global crime-fighting efforts through continuous dialogue between organizations, security bodies, and police authorities worldwide. The meeting stressed the importance of regular discussions to coordinate strategies against global threats and establish a unified approach to tackling security challenges.
Integrated and Sustainable Crime-Fighting Mechanisms
Key discussions focused on implementing a proactive mechanism for sharing criminal records of convicted and suspected individuals involved in serious crimes, ensuring timely legal action before their cross-border movement. The meeting also highlighted the urgent need for early and rapid exchange of criminal intelligence during investigations of high-priority cases requiring international coordination. Joint international operations between GCC and EU nations were proposed, along with media and awareness campaigns to support these initiatives. Strengthening police capabilities through specialized training programs and capacity-building efforts was also emphasized as a cornerstone for enhancing law enforcement’s effectiveness in combating evolving criminal threats.

Discussions over two days with broad local, regional and international participation

In the deliberations of the first day, the first session addressed combating cybercrime, artificial intelligence, and the issue of drug trafficking using social media as a form of organized and electronic crime, and on trends in cybercrime and the issue of the repercussions of cybercrime in light of the increasing use of cyberspace and combating financial fraud and financial crimes, in addition to interventions by specialized speakers from European countries during the meeting, which addressed a number of topics, including the efforts of the countries of the region in combating crimes.

The second day witnessed four sessions, completing the discussions of the first day. The first session was entitled Combating Child Exploitation via the Internet and first addressed crimes of sexual exploitation of children via the Internet. Then, it addressed the topic of combating child exploitation via the Internet and the focus of money laundering crimes. It spoke about the efforts of the UAE in combating money laundering crimes and related crimes. In the third session of the second day, which addressed the topic of combating human trafficking crimes, in addition to a general discussion with specialized speakers during the meeting about efforts to combat crimes and joint international cooperation and coordination, a special session was held on the climate initiative of law enforcement institutions (I2LEC) that addressed the global initiative launched from the UAE to the world and raises the capabilities of law enforcement personnel in the fields of environmental crimes. Then, the sessions concluded in the sixth session entitled Combating Environmental Crimes and Andy Cragg from Europol spoke again about environmental crimes. Then, an open discussion was held with the participation of specialists and experts in the meeting.