Josephine Teo: “Policing needs to get better” all over the world

Singapore — Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, speaking at the Interpol World 2019 on July 2, highlighted the need for crime fighters all over the globe to have better weapons in the ever-evolving area of fighting security threats.

Mrs Teo points out that three aspects of innovation in fighting crime may prove vital in countering these new threats: biometrics, data analytics, and digital forensics.

The Manpower Minister notes there are three reasons that are bringing change in global security, which are global connectivity, technology, and polarisation in societies.

However, she says polarisation of societies is the “most worrying development” because those with extreme views possess the means to spread their messages at hand.

She says the result is self-radicalisation, a previously unheard of phenomenon.

“In this new landscape, otherwise ordinary citizens can become explosive nodes of destruction without anyone noticing.”

Hence the need for big changes in the weapons that crime-fighters possess, she says.

The bottom line is that “policing needs to get better,” according to Mrs Teo, who mentions the need to focus on biometrics, data analytics, and digital forensics.

Crimes can be solved quickly with biometrics using facial recognition technology that allows crime busters to rapidly go through video to detect crime perpetrators.

She says perpetrators are ahead of the game today, thus the need for research and development to develop new investigative tools and techniques.

This was also a point driven home by Jurgen Stock, the Secretary-General of Interpol when he made his speech on the same day.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday morning, July 3, Teo wrote,

“Increased global connectivity, misuse of technology and polarised societies are re-shaping the security landscape across many countries. Innovation in policing efforts is key to countering these challenges. Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore is making it a priority to strengthen our science and technology capabilities.

“Sharing of information and building strong bridges among law enforcement agencies is also necessary to deal with crime and terrorism.

“INTERPOL WORLD is an important platform for law enforcement agencies to come together, and explore innovation and collaboration in the global policing and security eco-system.

“Together, we can be more effective in dealing with security threats, and make our homes more secure for all.” / TISG

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