Threats that know no borders
“Today, in addition to informants and physical resources, cyberspace is helping us a great deal in solving crimes,” explains Deputy Commissioner Stéphane Mawana.
Digital technology was therefore a major focus on Monday, September 7, during the celebration of International Police Cooperation Day at the University of Kinshasa.
“Digital technology is playing an increasingly prominent role in police investigations,” the Deputy Commissioner further notes.
The Commissioner General of the Congolese National Police, Benjamin Alongaboni, shares the same view. “Crime is evolving; it is becoming digital,” he observes, regretting that “technologies are increasingly being exploited for criminal purposes.”
Cybercrime, disinformation and transnational criminal networks are among the threats that know no borders and are increasingly posing risks to countries around the world.
This led Christiane Sophie Eone, UNPOL’s Coordinator for Reform and Restructuring, to observe: “We are operating in an environment where technology is redefining threats.”
Cooperation: “a strategic necessity”
During the day’s celebrations, police officers, academics, civil society representatives and government partners unanimously recognized that the complexity of digital threats requires information sharing. Hence the importance of police cooperation.
“Information sharing is crucial,” insists Deputy Commissioner Stéphane Mawana, for whom police cooperation is a key asset in the fight against cybercrime.
UNPOL made the same case.
“Faced with this complexity,” says Christiane Sophie Eone, “police cooperation is no longer an option; it has become a strategic necessity.”
She further emphasized that MONUSCO is mobilized to support the Congolese police “in this spirit of shared responsibility.”
“Our shared ambition is to see the emergence of a police force capable of anticipating digital threats while remaining deeply human and worthy of the trust of the Congolese people,” she said.
For the Commissioner General of the Congolese National Police, it is likewise essential for police forces to share information in order to combat networks that increasingly rely on digital tools that know no borders.
The Minister of the Interior, who also attended the celebration, concluded that, at present, “no State can claim to act effectively alone” in the face of such threats.
He particularly stressed the need to exchange experiences among police forces from different countries in order to effectively combat criminal networks.
From laboratories to police stations
But why celebrate Police Cooperation Day within the grounds of the country’s oldest university?
UNPOL is advocating for stronger bridges between academia and the police.
“By celebrating International Police Cooperation Day here, we are demonstrating our commitment to linking academic reflection with security action,” explains Christiane Sophie Eone.
For the Commissioner General of Police, it is imperative to bring the police closer to academia and the research community.
UNPOL’s Coordinator for Reform and Restructuring took the opportunity to challenge the many students who attended the celebration: “Dare. Innovate. Dare to put forward ideas, because tomorrow’s security is being created today in your laboratories and through your research and reflections.”
Since 2023, International Police Cooperation Day has been celebrated on September 7 to highlight the essential role of international police cooperation in promoting peace, security and justice.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Mission de l'Organisation des Nations unies en République démocratique du Congo (MONUSCO).
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