CEPOL participates in meeting on High Risk Criminal Networks and drug trafficking

The CEPOL Head of Operations, Ms. Mailis Pukonen participated on 6-7 July at a 2-day meeting organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs entitled: The implementation of the EU Strategy to Tackle Organised Crime 2021-2025: new key actions to dismantle criminal networks and drug trafficking. CEPOL is an active member of EMPACT on Drugs and High Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN), thus continuously contributing to the implementation of the EU strategy to tackle organised crime.

Taking the floor during the discussion on dismantling HRCN, Ms. Pukonen underlined that this topic was identified as one of the core capability gaps, to be addressed via training for law enforcement, in the European Union (EU) Strategic Training Needs Assessment (EU-STNA) for 2022-2025. Following up on this strategic training priority, CEPOL launched an Operational Training Needs Analysis (OTNA) on HRCN in December 2022, with the aim to use the outcomes of the survey research for defining its training portfolio for 2024-2025. The OTNA will be published online later this summer.

CEPOL equips European law enforcement officials with the necessary knowledge and skills to face the evolving challenges posed by organised crime. Every year we deliver a comprehensive training offer covering the most urgent and relevant topics. Local, national and international levels of HRCN phenomena and the related capacity development needs are interlinked, and cooperation is a key element of success - she noted. In order to ensure the best possible cooperation and knowledge sharing at all levels, CEPOL always applies a flexible approach. The new CEPOL strategy has made an important step to this direction, as, among others, it recognises the power of e-Learning tools in reaching a higher number of participants, including new audiences. We are committed to continue our efforts in the field of HRCN - stated Ms. Pukonen.

Under the topic on how to strengthen the international cooperation against organised crime and drug trafficking, the CEPOL Head of Operations had the opportunity to highlight the agency’s new innovative training resources:

CEPOL has developed a series of eLessons on illicit drug laboratories, accessible to all EU law enforcement officials that are registered in the agency’s Law Enforcement Education Platform, LEEd. They offer a virtual tour of the illicit laboratories, which can be taken from any computer or mobile device, and by using virtual reality goggles.

Ms. Pukonen also noted the importance of CEPOL’s capacity building projects in enhancing security in the EU’s neighbourhood region, particularly when it comes to HRCN and drug-related crimes.

More information about CEPOL eLessons is available here.

You can find this year’s training offer for EU law enforcement officials in the CEPOL Training Catalogue 2023