Help Taiwan Help the World to Become a Safer Place

Taiwan's national flags flutter beside Taipei 101 at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei in a file photo. Mandy Cheng/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

Taiwan enjoys strong law enforcement capabilities and cooperates with friendly partners in criminal investigations. Being able to exchange information in real time is crucial to combating transnational crime.

However, because of its exclusion from the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), Taiwan can only access critical intelligence indirectly.

By the time that information is received, it is often outdated, creating a challenging situation that allows transnational crime to thrive and exacerbates the harm caused.

International Cooperation Is Essential in Law Enforcement

According to Article 2 of the Constitution of INTERPOL, one of the organisation’s aims is to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance among all criminal police authorities.

In recent years, transnational crime has evolved, exacerbated by the rapid advancement of information and communications technology.

Criminal activities are increasingly of a cross-border, organised, and anonymous nature, with financial transactions taking place online. This puts all countries and peoples at risk.

To combat transnational crime, nations must work together, engage in mutual assistance, and share information—notions fully commensurate with the INTERPOL Constitution.

Strengthening cross-border cooperation, enhancing law enforcement capabilities, and building capacity to safeguard justice have become key goals of the international community.

INTERPOL President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi said on Sept. 7 during International Police Cooperation Day, “By openly sharing intelligence, strategies, and resources, we are better equipped to confront global threats like transnational crime, human trafficking, and terrorism.”

Although specific criminal cases may not affect the entire world, the analysis of crime trends can help identify investigation opportunities. Countries should learn from one another, cooperate, share intelligence, and work together to find solutions.

This year’s theme for international police cooperation is “police integrity, accountability, and oversight,” which are values crucial to law enforcement and global security.

These values form the foundation of public trust; are essential to preventing crime, protecting the vulnerable, and upholding justice; and play a vital role in international police cooperation.

Taiwan, strategically positioned and committed to strengthening international ties, is eager to share information and work with other countries to build a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous future for all.

One of World’s Safest Countries

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, enjoys its full sovereignty and is not subordinate to any other country in the world. Taiwan operates its own policing and justice, financial and trading, aviation and maritime transport, and border control systems.

Having garnered extensive experience in combating transnational crime such as telecommunication fraud, drug trafficking, cyberattacks, organised crime, and terrorism, Taiwan’s law enforcement authorities have demonstrated their commitment to promoting peace and helping vulnerable people.

Its well-trained officers have also made Taiwan a significant partner to the international community, which has highly recognised Taiwan’s crime-fighting achievements. Combating transnational crime is a critical mission of Taiwan.

As global security is interconnected, cooperation between Taiwan and INTERPOL would help make the world a safer place.

According to the Numbeo safety index, Taiwan’s crime rate is fourth-lowest among 146 countries, following only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

Moreover, in 2023, the Expat Insider annual survey published by InterNations ranked Taiwan the fifth most livable country—second for quality of life, eighth for safety, and first for quality of health care.

International Security Network

With Taiwanese passports providing visa-free entry to more than 160 countries and areas around the world, there have been numerous cases in which such passports have been illegally traded by crime syndicates in other countries. Criminal elements in a number of countries have fraudulently used Taiwanese passports to engage in illegal activities, thereby threatening international security and seriously disrupting the global order.

However, currently, Taiwan can neither obtain the latest information on crimes nor share intelligence on suspects of major crimes such as fraud and drug trafficking in a timely fashion. Likewise, Taiwan is unable to provide other countries with crucial information regarding emerging criminal methods, its experiences in investigating related crimes, and details on forged passports.

Taiwan’s absence hampers efforts to prevent and stop criminal activities at their source.

Justice, Law, and Order

In 2017, for example, after Australian national Lisa Lines allegedly convinced a lover to attack her ex-husband with an axe, seriously injuring and paralysing him, she fled to Taiwan to hide and work.

In September 2022, INTERPOL issued a red notice for Lines and a yellow notice for her young children. However, Taiwan was not notified immediately.

When Australian police approached Taiwan with a unilateral request for assistance in their investigation in October 2023 again, Taiwan police authorities were then able to conduct an investigation and went on to alert both the Australian and Palauan police forces such that Lines was arrested while traveling to Palau with her children. She was then extradited to Australia to face trial, and her children were escorted back to Australia.

In 2024, the INTERPOL Stop Internet Piracy initiative sought to address copyright violations and piracy crimes, issuing a report titled “Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Awareness for Potential Digital Piracy Services.”

It highlighted a Taiwanese police investigation into the illegal broadcasting of Olympic events through the Unblock Tech TV box (also known as the Anbo box). INTERPOL later asked Taiwan to share its related experiences and suggest potential measures for combating set-top box and other digital piracy services in the future so as to better protect intellectual property rights.

Making the World a Safer Place

On June 27, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute published an article by John Coyne titled “Taiwan’s exclusion from INTERPOL is the world’s loss.” The article highlighted Taiwan’s strong law enforcement capabilities and important role in combating transnational crime, particularly human trafficking.

Despite widespread international support, Taiwan remains unable to access INTERPOL’s intelligence databases and cooperation systems, limiting the effectiveness of cross-border crime investigations.

Granting Taiwan observer status in INTERPOL would further strengthen global security, uphold justice, and minimise the negative effects of political factors on efforts to fight crime worldwide.

We believe national boundaries are established to protect their citizens, rather than forming a hinderance against international cooperation in safeguarding security and promoting justice.

We urge all countries to support Taiwan’s participation as an observer at INTERPOL’s annual assembly, enabling Taiwan’s law enforcement agencies to engage with those of member states, attend training sessions, and share expertise.

Taiwan can help build a safer world. Please let Taiwan help!

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.