Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. —Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police is planning to have a permanent police attache in the United Arab Emirates to serve more than 700,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle Eastern country.
PNP chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said opening such a post in UAE was in line with the government’s objective a having a “comprehensive, integrated program to address conflict and security against global security threats.”
Azurin said he had discussed the proposal with the country’s ambassador to the UAE, Alfonso Ver, when they met at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
They talked about “measures to protect the rights of Filipinos working in the UAE, addressing crimes such as trafficking in person, human smuggling and other safety concerns affecting the Filipino community and improving emergency response and support systems for Filipinos in need,” the PNP said on Tuesday.
“Our focus is on expanding efforts to address transnational crimes by improving coordination and communication with the international intelligence community,” Azurin said.
“By considering internal security concerns globally, we can better respond to and prevent transnational crimes that may impact the country,” he said.
By working with foreign law enforcement agencies, police attaches can help disrupt illegal gambling, drug trafficking and cybercrime activities that may affect both countries, Azurin added.
8 OPAs worldwide
There are currently eight Philippine Offices of the Police Attache (OPA) located in the following: Washington and Los Angeles in the United States; Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China, Malaysia, France and Indonesia.
An OPA is an overseas office under the administrative supervision of the Head of Post in the host country, such as the ambassador or consul, but it is also under the operational control of PNP’s Directorate for Intelligence.
Azurin is in Abu Dhabi as head of the 10-member PNP delegation to the 24th Asian Regional Conference of the Interpol from Feb. 7 to 9.
On Wednesday, he was scheduled to present updates on human trafficking in the country and on migrant smuggling as part of the biennial conference.
Meet with Interpol chief
On Tuesday, Azurin met with Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock on the sidelines of the event.
“The Philippines is a safe country for both its citizens and tourists. We are open to enhancing innovative solutions, such as the extensive use of biometrics, to enhance our security measures,” he said during the meeting.
Citing cybercrime and human trafficking as two of the “most pressing issues” in the world, Azurin assured the Interpol chief that the PNP was being “proactive’’ in addressing them.
He said the PNP was continuously empowering its Anti-Cybercrime Group by recruiting and training more personnel in detecting, investigating and prosecuting such cases.
As to human trafficking, the PNP chief said a “multidisciplinary” approach was needed and would require collaboration with other government agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
The two officials also discussed Stock’s possible visit to the Philippines and the country’s prospects of hosting the 25th Interpol Asian Regional Conference.