Representatives from the diplomatic corps, ASEAN police agencies, INTERPOL and ASEANAPOl, as well as observers from other countries are gathering in Hanoi for the first ever conference on cooperation in police training between ASEAN countries.

During the opening the session on December 8, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Public Security Lieutenant General Bui Van Nam, stressed on the urgent need for countries in the region to fight crime, including non-traditional crimes.

“This requires more cooperation in controlling crime,” he said, adding that the traditional relations between ASEAN countries enable regional police forces to link up to combat crime, ensuring stability and peace in each regional nation.

He underlined ASEAN’s efforts in joint police training in the region, such as the exchange of cadets between police training colleges, short-term training courses and training programmes with partner countries.

Major-General Nguyen Xuan Yem, Director of the People’s Police Academy, said that Vietnam has made great efforts, in its capacity as ASEAN Chair in 2010, to promote cooperation between the region’s countries, including security and defence, which is one of the three pillars that will enable the creation of an ASEAN Community.

The conference, initiated by Vietnam, aims to strengthen cooperation amongst the region’s police forces and offers an opportunity to increase cooperation in ASEAN.

It also serves as a forum for ASEAN nations to present their police training methods, share their experiences, achievements and challenges in the area, which will help to improve police forces across ASEAN and meet the demand for more action against crime throughout the region.

During the two-day conference, the participants are scheduled to take part in an exchange programme at the People’s Police Academy, the country’s leading police training college and visit several interesting places around the country./.