The official inauguration of INTERPOL’s Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) in Singapore on 13 April 2015 is a significant step in the right direction to combine international efforts in the fight against contemporary cybercrimes. Still, this is no easy feat as numerous challenges face the international law enforcement community.

Cyber is a game changer since it now affects most law enforcement operations including those that traditionally had no technological aspect. INTERPOL’s IGCI therefore held its first workshop in March involving law enforcement, industry, academia, and research bodies to more fully identify its research agenda for the near term.

In light of this workshop, there are at least three noteworthy challenges facing the international community. They are the need to proactively expect new trends and threats; the necessity for stronger international collaboration; and the requirement to more responsibly tackle privacy concerns over law enforcement’s access to data.

… Caitríona H. Heinl is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Stephen Honiss is a New Zealand Police officer working on cyber issues at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) in Singapore.