China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will collaborate in establishing a special law enforcement college as part of a concerted strategy to combat cross border crime.

The proposed China ASEAN College will be funded by the Ministry of Public Security and will be located within the Yunnan Police Officer Academy, reported the China Daily.

Like Us on Facebook

Security experts have noted that terror-related activities - the manufacture and trafficking of drugs, human trafficking, firearms smuggling, illegal immigration, cybercrime and telecom fraud - have become more prevalent and complex over the past years.

The establishment of the China-ASEAN Law Enforcement College, experts say, therefore is timely in light of recent developments at the peace and security front which now pose a serious threat to regional stability and security.

 "It's more than necessary to set up such a college to strengthen law enforcement cooperation between China and ASEAN countries to combat cross-border crimes," noted a senior official at the ministry's International Cooperation Bureau who refused to be identified.

"We need to maintain regional security and promote economic prosperity," he added.

Aside from setting up the college, China and ASEAN will work on enhancing communication linkages, conduct regular visits and exchanges between teachers and students, share practical experiences and carry out joint research on relevant cases.

The Ministry of Public Security plans to train at least 2,000 police officers from its partner ASEAN countries to help improve their tactics and ability to fight cross border crime.

Seng Phally, president of the Police Academy of Cambodia said that the China-ASEAN Law Enforcement College will help sharpen the focus of their country's law enforcement agencies.

"Such a college will provide targeted training programs to our police officers, then help them improve their evidence collection techniques and their attack capabilities to cope with transnational crimes," Phally said.

For his part, Azizan Bin Abu Taat, commandant of the Malaysia Royal Police College, said the initiative will help strengthen efforts to combat terrorism in the region.

"Terror attacks have become more complex and devastating and the terrorists will plan to stage attacks anywhere in the world where they can attract people's attention," he pointed out.

Once established, the China-ASEAN Law Enforcement College will demonstrate the region's strong desire to address the growing threat of terrorism and cross border crime.  

Tagschina, ASEAN, crime, terrorism, law enforcement