[Answered] Analyze the effectiveness of Interpol and cross-national law enforcement agencies to meet evolving challenges.

Interpol is a secure information-sharing platform that facilitates criminal investigation of police forces across the globe through the collection and dissemination of information received from various police forces.

Evolving challenges:

• Sporadic instances of massacres, gruesome killings of young children due to the proliferation of gun culture.
• Exploitation and abuse of children and women, targeting of the elderly for identity theft and swindling of their income are becoming commonplace.
• The areas of concern are growing from human trafficking to disturbing instances of financial crimes by the high and mighty.
• Safe havens are provided to fugitives accused of terrorism and money laundering and the proliferation of illicit trade based on counterfeiting and smuggling.
• Transnational organised crime continues to thrive due to illicit networks that operate on the strength of money laundering.
• Lawbreakers enjoy the ease of mobility and access to the internet.

The Interpol and cross-national law enforcement agencies are effective to meet these challenges in following manner:

• Interpol uses 19 databases and tools for issuing alerts, sharing information about criminals and their modus operandi.
• It has a huge repository of fingerprints, DNA profiles, facial recognition kits, cyber-enabled financial crimes, and property crimes, among others.
• It has undertaken various operations in different countries relating to the trafficking of women and children, cyber crimes, online piracy, narcotics smuggling, illegal gun trade etc.
• A large number of red corner notices have been issued for the detention of several accused and convicted fugitives.
• Providing information about crime and criminals in the digital space, preventing abuse of cyberspace and stalling hackers on the dark web.

Challenges:

• Interpol action against notorious fugitives is based upon appropriate action from member nations where the fugitives might be seeking shelter. Interpol cannot act on its own.
• Equitable significance should be accorded to the legitimate interests of growing economies pursuing democratic charters.

Interpol and law enforcement agencies of member nations must endeavour to build, maintain and operate a people-centric ecosystem to meet the evolving challenges.