The AFP and Indonesian ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Police (INP) will jointly target regional cyber criminals after signing a new cooperation and intelligence sharing agreement in Sydney this week.
The agencies also renewed a longstanding arrangement to cooperate on preventing and combatting transnational crimes and regional threats including terrorism, people smuggling, child sexual exploitation, human trafficking, organised crime and anti-corruption.
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw hosted the AFP-INP Senior Officers’ Meeting, which was held for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief of the INP, Police General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who was making his first international visit since being appointed in 2021, led the INP delegation, which included nearly 30 senior officers.
Commissioner Kershaw said the meeting on Tuesday (7 March) highlighted the deep and enduring ties between the AFP and INP that were grounded on the foundations of decades of cooperation and partnership.
“The deep bonds forged between the AFP and INP get stronger each time we come together,” Commission Kershaw said.
“We have been working together for decades protecting the people of Australia, Indonesia and the region and the relationship extends to the many deep friendships that have developed between members of the AFP and INP.
“The AFP and INP share a commitment to cooperating and sharing intelligence to deliver maximum damage to regional criminal threats, including terrorism, organised crime and human exploitation.”
In his opening remarks to the meeting, Chief of the INP Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the momentum of the meeting would be a milestone for more solid cooperation in preventing and combating transnational crime.
“The AFP and the INP have long recognised the importance of police-to-police cooperation,” he said.
“The geographical proximity of Australia and Indonesia has put us in the same situation as we face the same enemy, organised criminal groups that know no borders and do not respect the laws.”
He added: “Collaboration is the most effective tool to prevent and to disrupt transnational crimes. Through tangible cooperation of the two institutions, we will gain strategic benefits for both countries in enforcing the law against transnational organised crime groups”.
AFP Deputy Commissioner International and Specialist Capabilities, Lesa Gale, and INP Chief of the Criminal Investigations Department, Police Commissioner General Agus Andrianto, chaired the day-long meeting.
The bilateral meeting identified key areas of operational focus for the agencies in the coming years as they seek to jointly disrupt, deter and destroy priority transnational crime threats.
Responding to the significant regional threat of cybercrime, the AFP and INP entered into a new arrangement to support improved coordination on cyber investigations by establishing the principles of cooperation and creating a platform for enhanced information sharing in line with each country’s legal framework.
The new pact highlights the focus of the AFP to work with international law enforcement partners to target the rising threat from cyber criminals.
The agencies also bolstered their joint work on counter terrorism with the Board of Patrons of the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) meeting on sidelines of the event.
JCLEC was established in 2004 in the wake of the Bali Bombings and is the primary platform for law enforcement partners to cooperate to enhance the capacity to combat terrorism and transnational crime.
The AFP and INP jointly manage the centre, which is based in Semarang and has been a cornerstone of law enforcement cooperation in South East Asia for nearly 20 years.
During the visit, Commissioner Kershaw presented an AFP Partnerships Medal to the Head of INP Education and Training, Commissioner General (3 Star), Prof. Dr. H. Rycko Amelza Dahniel, M.Si.
The medal was awarded in recognition of outstanding leadership and dedication through the strengthening of relationships, enduring support to operations and cooperation with the Australian Federal Police.
Commissioner Kershaw said Indonesia was the AFP’s largest international post, with eight members based in Jakarta and one in Bali with both posts supported by locally-engaged staff.
“The AFP maintains this dedicated presence in Indonesia to support police-to-police cooperation as part of the AFP’s wide-reaching International Network.
“The AFP has more than 200 members located in 33 countries. This presence allows the AFP to work with our international partners, including Indonesia, to deliver maximum impact on the global criminal environment.”
