President Aquino graces the 34th ASEAN Chiefs of
Police Conference
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday
graced the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Association of Chiefs of
Police (ASEANAPOL) Conference at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City.
The conference was attended by the Chiefs of
Police of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines together with their
respective delegations.
In his speech, the President said that although
the recently concluded 24th ASEAN Summit in Myanmar have fostered agreements on
a broader scale, the ASEANAPOL is vital in making sure these agreements become
tangible realities.
The Chief Executive said crimes cross borders.
“Criminals often attempt to evade justice by
crossing borders, thereby stretching the capacities of our respective police
forces, oftentimes, challenging the existing laws of each country in the
region. This is one of the primary reasons why we are gathered here,” he said.
“Our goal: To make sure that such criminals are
brought to justice in the swiftest and most efficient manner possible; and to
allow all the peoples of Southeast Asia to go about their lives with peace of
mind, knowing that they are protected by their respective governments.”
President Aquino underscored the importance of
enhanced cooperation between ASEAN members and the International Police
(INTERPOL), through shared databases such as the I-24/7 of the Interpol and the
e-ADS or ASEANAPOL Database System.
“These are vital tools in identifying,
apprehending, filing cases against, and eventually prosecuting criminals in
court,” said the President.
He said such enhanced cooperation helps in
identifying stolen motor vehicles, apprehending wanted persons, rescuing
missing persons, breaking up syndicates, and neutralizing terrorist elements.
Also present at that conference were the Chiefs
of Police of Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand; Russia
Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev; and the Secretary Generals of the ASEAN
Secretariat and Interpol. PND (ag)
