In a bid to crack down on cross-border criminals and to exchange much needed information and technology, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are working on a unified data network that can be accessed by all member states. This was confirmed by Lt. Gen. Saeed Bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Director General of Public Security. He was addressing the inaugural session of the 25th meeting of the GCC's criminal investigation bodies here, Sunday. He said the network will serve as a database of suspects and those who have criminal records. He said the use of modern technology and telecommunications by criminals pose a great challenge to those working in the field. GCC criminal investigation officers are being trained in the latest technology to deal efficiently with what he described as “crime waves”. “The improved information and intelligence sharing will create an accurate picture of crimes in the member states.” He said the meeting also serves as a unique opportunity for the criminal investigation officers to exchange experience and knowledge about the latest techniques and tricks which criminals use. Al-Qahtani added that security authorities in the Kingdom have started questioning more than 100 terrorists who were rounded up in the country recently. He said the investigations would take some time. Technology of crime Brigadier Sheikh Mazen Bin Jrah Al-Sabah, chairman of the session, said the unprecedented developments witnessed in the telecommunications field have turned the world into a small village. “This development is a two-edged weapon in the sense that criminals have benefited massively from this technology to develop crimes which some countries describe as ‘cyber crimes'.” This placed an added burden on security agencies. “Without the cooperation of member states in legislation and [technology], we will never succeed in combating crimes in our countries. This is why it is important for collective work and cooperation between member states. This meeting is aimed at discovering new avenues of cooperation in the field,” he said. Colonel Ali Ahmad Bu Hindi, Assistant Deputy Secretary General for Security Affairs at the GCC General Secretariat, praised the work of the Kingdom's security authorities in rounding up terror suspects recently for alleged involvement in targeting vital oil installations.
