Leaders from law enforcement agencies from all across Australia descended on Melbourne this week to discuss and debate the year’s biggest crime issues.
Assistant Commissioner in the Victoria Police Crime Command, Robert Hill said cybercrime, illicit firearms, outlaw motorcycle gangs and child sexual exploitation were some of the many topics being discussed at the Serious and Organised Crime Coordination Committee (SOCCC) meeting.
Assistant Commissioner Hill said the meeting incorporated Assistant Commissioners and high-ranking officials from every Australian State and Territory policing jurisdiction as well as the Australian Federal Police, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Tax Office, AUSTRAC, Australian Border Force and New Zealand Police.
“The SOCCC brings together the capability and expertise from all State and national law enforcement agencies in the efforts to combat serious and organised crime,” Assistant Commissioner Hill said.
“The power of national collaboration has been proven in a number of different responses to organised crime over recent years, including efforts to reduce the threat of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCGs) in Australia, disrupting the manufacture, trafficking and use of illicit firearms and drugs and removing children from sexual or physical harm.”
“New and emerging trends around cybercrime, cryptocurrency, corruption, fraud, drug trafficking and manufacturing are also in the spotlight, requiring coordinated efforts to disrupt.”
Assistant Commissioner Hill said the transnational nature of serious and organised crime – enabled through the new and emerging technology used by criminals – had challenged traditional investigative practices across law enforcement agencies.
“We know that crime does not respect state, national or international borders so it requires a collective focus of our efforts to address and combat it,” he said.
“Victoria Police provides expert insight into organised crime in our state and works closely with our state and national counterparts to share information, target criminals and disrupt their organised illicit activities.
“Outlaw motorcycle gangs are a significant priority for Victoria Police, and the Echo and VIPER Taskforces are leading the way for the organisation in targeting and disrupting these groups, which can only be achieved through close collaboration with State and Federal partners.”
To Police, ‘Viper’ is an acronym for “Visibility, Intelligence, Prevention, Enforcement and Reassurance”.
