Interpol and the Emergence of Global Policing

This chapter examines global policing as it takes shape through the work of Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization. Global policing emerges in the legal, political and technological amalgam through which transnational police cooperation is carried out, and includes the police practices inflected and made possible by this phenomenon. Interpol’s role is predominantly in the circulation of information, through which it enters into relationships and provides services that affect aspects of governance, from the local to national, regional and global. The chapter describes this assemblage as a noteworthy experiment in developing what McKeon called a frame for common action. Drawing on Interpol publications, news stories, interviews with staff, and fieldwork at the General Secretariat in Lyon, France, the history, institutional structure, and daily practices are described. Three cases are analyzed, concerning Red Notices, national sovereignty, and terrorism, in order to explore some of the problems arising in Interpol’s political and technical operating arrangements. In conclusion, international and global policing are compared schematically, together with Interpol’s attempts to give institutional and procedural direction to the still-evolving form of global policing

Who knows who we are? Questioning DNA analysis in disaster victim identification

The use of DNA analysis as a mode of identification of disaster victims has become increasingly predominant to other, traditional, methods of identification in recent years. Scientific advances of the technological processes, high-profile use in identification efforts across the globe (such as after 9/11 or in the Asian Tsunami of 2004), and its inclusion in popular media, have led to its popular adoption as one of the primary modes of identification in disaster scenarios, and to the expectation of its use in all cases by the lay public and media. It is increasingly argued to be integral to post-disaster management. However, depending on the circumstances, location, and type of disaster, this technology may not be appropriate, and its use may instead conflict with socio-political and cultural norms and structures of power. Using examples primarily from Cambodia and Iraq this article will explore what these conflicts may be, and in doing so, question the expanding assumption that DNA analysis is a universally appropriate intervention in disaster victim identification. It will argue instead that its use may be a result of a desire for the political and social capital that this highly prestigious technological intervention offers rather than a solely humanitarian intervention on behalf of survivors and the dead

All at sea? Maritime dimensions of Europe's relations with Africa

The article examines three dimensions of Europe’s maritime relations with Africa: first, the notion that Europe’s strategic maritime frontiers are linked to Africa; second, the coherence or ‘actorness’ of the European Union’s (EU) anti-piracy force operating off the Horn of Africa; and third, the relationship between the EU’s own military and naval objectives and its wider regional policies in Africa. While the EU adopted a ‘Maritime Security Strategy’ in 2014, the article notes that, in practice, the EU’s strategy at sea has focused on two groups of ‘non-state actors’: the Africans who are ‘pirates’; and the migrants crossing the Mediterranean, who are the object of the EU’s Frontex patrols. As such, the initial question examined charts the somewhat fluid notion of the sea as a maritime frontier: where do Europe’s strategic interests in terms of its maritime frontiers lie? Is the EU’s anti-piracy mission defending them? Is this first-ever maritime mission a more tangible manifestation of EU’s common foreign and defence policy than some of the other shorter and smaller military and policing missions in Africa

Investigação criminal de incêndios florestais: participação da INTERPOL na harmonização de procedimentos

From the perspective of fighting the emergency, forest fires have always received preferential attention from environmental managers based on extinction and the prevention of risky activities. However, perhaps due to being outside their normal work environment and due to the complexity of procedures and the need of highly specialized resources required, these environmental managers have historically paid insufficient attention to the criminal investigation of perpetrators in many places on the globe. The acceleration of climate change processes, however, is placing criminal investigation of forest fires as a growing need in some of these countries, making it increasingly necessary to create structures capable of responding to these needs. Not only to be able to know in more depth the motivations that give rise to the fires, so that effective prevention measures can be established, but also for the prosecution by the Justice and Law Enforcement Agencies of conducts contemplated as a crime in criminal regulations of the vast majority of countries on the planet. Either specifically as a crime of forest fire or as a crime of generic fire. In this regard, the efforts that INTERPOL has been developing in the last two years to contribute to harmonizing and promoting criminal investigation processes worldwide, and also to try to alleviate the difficulty of having training tools at an international level, are described in this study.Desde la perspectiva de la lucha contra la emergencia, los incendios forestales siempre han recibido una atención preferente por parte de los gestores medioambientales basada en la extinción y la prevención de actividades de riesgo. Sin embargo, quizá por estar fuera de su ámbito habitual de trabajo y por la complejidad y el consumo de recursos altamente especializados que entraña, esos gestores medioambientales han obviado históricamente en muchos lugares del planeta la investigación criminal de los autores. La aceleración de los procesos de cambio climático, sin embargo, está colocando la investigación criminal de los incendios forestales como una necesidad creciente en algunos de esos países, por lo que resulta cada vez más necesaria la creación de estructuras capaces de dar respuesta a esas necesidades, no sólo para poder conocer más en profundidad las motivaciones que dan lugar a los incendios, de forma que se puedan establecer medidas de prevención eficaces, sino también para la persecución por parte de la Justicia y las agencias de aplicación de la Ley de conductas contempladas como delito en la normativa penal de la inmensa mayoría de los países del planeta, ya sea de manera específica como delito de incendio forestal o como delito de incendio genérico. En ese sentido, para tratar de paliar la dificultad de contar con herramientas de formación a nivel internacional, se describen en este estudio los esfuerzos que INTERPOL está desarrollando en los últimos dos años para contribuir a armonizar y potenciar los procesos de investigación criminal de incendios forestales a nivel mundial.A partir da perspectiva de combate a emergências, os incêndios florestais sempre receberam atenção preferencial dos gestores ambientais, baseada na extinção e prevenção de atividades de risco. Entretanto, talvez por estar fora do seu escopo normal de trabalho e devido à complexidade de procedimentos e à necessidade de recursos altamente especializados que acarreta, esses gestores ambientais têm historicamente dedicado atenção insuficiente à investigação criminal dos infratores em muitas partes do mundo. Por outro lado, a aceleração dos processos de mudança climática vem colocando a investigação criminal de incêndios florestais como uma necessidade crescente em alguns países, tornando cada vez mais importante a criação de estruturas capazes de responder a essas investigações. Não apenas com o objetivo de conhecer em maior profundidade as motivações que originam os incêndios, para que se possam estabelecer medidas preventivas eficazes, mas também para aperfeiçoar os processos de julgamento pelos órgãos de justiça e agências de fiscalização das condutas previstas como crime na regulamentação penal da grande maioria dos países do planeta, seja especificamente como crime de incêndio florestal ou como crime genérico de incêndio. Nesse sentido, são descritos neste estudo os esforços que a INTERPOL tem desenvolvido nos últimos dois anos a fim de contribuir para a harmonização e o aprimoramento dos processos de investigação criminal em todo o mundo, além de auxiliar na mitigação das dificuldades de contar com ferramentas de capacitação em nível internacional

Disaster victim identification operations with fragmented burnt or commingled remains: experienced based recommendations

Human-made and natural disasters can result in severely fragmented, compromised, and commingled human remains. The related disaster victim identification (DVI) operations are invariably challenging, with the state of the remains potentially precluding some identifications. Practitioners involved in these DVI operations will routinely face logistical, practical, and ethical challenges. This review provides information and guidance derived from first-hand experiences to individuals tasked with managing DVI operations with fragmented human remains. We outline several key issues that should be addressed during disaster preparedness planning and at the outset of an operation, when incident-specific strategies are developed. Specific challenges during recovery and examination of fragmented remains are addressed, highlighting the importance of experienced specialists at the scene and in the mortuary. DNA sample selection and sampling techniques are reviewed, as well as downstream effects of commingling and contamination, which can complicate reconciliation and emphasise the need for rigorous quality control. We also touch on issues that may arise during communication with families. While recommendations are provided, they are not intended as proscriptive policy but rather as an addition to the general recommendations given in the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) DVI Guide, to inform preparative discussions between government officials, judiciary, police, and forensic specialists

CITES, wild plants, and opportunities for crime

The illegal trade in endangered plants damages both the environment and local communities by threatening and destroying numerous species and important natural resources. There is very little research which systematically addresses this issue by identifying specific opportunities for crime. This article presents the results of an interdisciplinary study which brings together criminological and conservation science expertise to identify criminal opportunities in the illegal wild plant trade and suggest strategies in order to prevent and mitigate the problem. Methodologically, the study adapts a crime proofing of legislation approach to the UN Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is based on documentary and interview data. Situational crime prevention is used as a framework to provide points for effective intervention

A novel application of mark-recapture to examine behaviour associated with the online trade in elephant ivory

The illegal trade in elephant ivory is driving the unlawful killing of elephants such that populations are now suffering unsustainable reductions. The internet is increasingly being used as a platform to conduct illegal wildlife trade, including elephant ivory. As a globally accessible medium the internet is as highly attractive to those involved in the illegal trade as it is challenging to regulate. Characterising the online illegal wildlife (ivory) trade is complex, yet key to informing enforcement activities. We applied mark-recapture to investigate behaviour associated with the online trade in elephant ivory on eBay UK as a generalist online marketplace. Our results indicate that trade takes place via eBay UK, despite its policy prohibiting this, and that two distinct trading populations exist, characterised by the pattern of their ivory sales. We suggest these may represent a large number of occasional (or non-commercial) sellers and a smaller number of dedicated (or commercial) sellers. Directing resource towards reducing the volume of occasional sales, such as through education, would enable greater focus to be placed upon characterising the extent and value of the illegal, “commercial” online ivory trade. MRC has the potential to characterise the illegal trade in ivory and diverse wildlife commodities traded using various online platforms

Separated by a Common Language: Awareness of Term Usage Differences Between Languages and Disciplines in Biopreparedness

Preparedness for bioterrorism is based on communication between people in organizations who are educated and trained in several disciplines, including law enforcement, health, and science. Various backgrounds, cultures, and vocabularies generate difficulties in understanding and interpretating terms and concepts, which may impair communication. This is especially true in emergency situations, in which the need for clarity and consistency is vital. The EU project AniBio- Threat initiated methods and made a rough estimate of the terms and concepts that are crucial for an incident, and a pilot database with key terms and definitions has been constructed. Analysis of collected terms and sources has shown that many of the participating organizations use various international standards in their area of expertise. The same term often represents different concepts in the standards from different sectors, or, alternatively, different terms were used to represent the same or similar concepts. The use of conflicting terminology can be problematic for decision makers and communicators in planning and prevention or when handling an incident. Since the CBRN area has roots in multiple disciplines, each with its own evolving terminology, it may not be realistic to achieve unequivocal communication through a standardized vocabulary and joint definitions for words from common language. We suggest that a communication strategy should include awareness of alternative definitions and ontologies and the ability to talk and write without relying on the implicit knowledge underlying specialized jargon. Consequently, cross-disciplinary communication skills should be part of training of personnel in the CBRN field. In addition, a searchable repository of terms and definitions from relevant organizations and authorities would be a valuable addition to existing glossaries for improving awareness concerning bioterrorism prevention planning