Joint investigations: A means of bringing terrorists to justice
Collaboration and cooperation among national agencies on international joint investigations are essential to bringing terrorists to justice, according to experts who took part in a three-day seminar held in June in Kuala Lumpur.
Despite coming from different regions and legal systems, the close to 40 practitioners from Southeast Asia, Europe and North America agreed on the importance of working jointly to fight global terrorism. They identified common challenges and good practices to better understand the various dimensions of international joint investigations.
Terrorists operate increasingly as members of decentralized cells or as lone wolves, who may turn to the Internet to recruit people. In response, jurisdictions must adopt clear policies and operational procedures, while engaging in closer cooperation within and across borders. One of the specific approaches identified during the seminar was the use of informal bilateral arrangements among law enforcement agencies involved in international joint investigations.
“There is no one-size-fits-all formula,” said Weixiong Chen, CTED Deputy Executive Director. “Tools and practices that your peers and counterparts consider effective may be worth studying and trying,” Mr. Chen told seminar participants.
CTED and the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, co-sponsored the seminar. The Government of New Zealand provided financial support.