Shares security: Include Taiwan, strengthen global policing

Founded in 1923, Interpol today has 196 member states, making it the world’s second-largest international organisation after the United Nations. As a vital platform for global law enforcement cooperation, Interpol closely monitors transnational criminal activity — including terrorism, cybercrime, and organised crime — and facilitates exchanges among the world’s police forces through its network of National Central Bureaus.

Interpol's mandate is to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between criminal police authorities worldwide. Yet for more than four decades, Taiwan has been unjustly excluded from the organisation for political reasons.

Taiwan’s law enforcement authorities possess extensive experience and professional expertise in crime prevention, public safety, and international cooperation. Taiwan has achieved notable success against drug smuggling, cyberfraud, and other forms of transnational crime, earning recognition as a reliable and capable partner in the international community. However, Taiwan remains unable to access Interpol’s databases, participate in its events, or share information with other countries in real time. This exclusion hampers Taiwan’s ability to counter cross-border criminal networks, encourages offenders to exploit jurisdictional gaps, and undermines the security not only of Taiwan but also of the Indo-Pacific and the wider world.

Globalisation has significantly accelerated the transnational development of crime. Criminal groups, illicit commodities, and unlawful financial flows now move rapidly across borders. Drug trafficking, human smuggling, cybercrime, and other illegal activities are no longer confined to individual jurisdictions but pose collective challenges to the international community at large. As crime becomes increasingly globalised and more technologically sophisticated, the world’s police forces must collaborate to establish a seamless and inclusive global security network. Enhanced cooperation is indispensable for effectively countering cross-border threats and safeguarding global stability. Taiwan’s participation in Interpol would allow all countries to coordinate efforts more efficiently, confront shared challenges, and uphold public safety and order.

Taiwan’s proven capabilities

According to the Numbeo global database, Taiwan ranks fourth in safety among 147 countries worldwide. This high placement stems from Taiwan’s low crime rate, strong civic culture, effective policing, and close cooperation between law enforcement and the public. Taiwan records just over 1,200 reported crimes per 100,000 people, with a homicide rate of only 2.3 per 100,000 — well below the global average. This internationally recognised record of public safety provides a valuable point of reference for law enforcement policymakers around the world and makes Taiwan an increasingly attractive destination for international travellers.

As a responsible member of the global community, Taiwan stands ready to contribute fully to the fight against transnational crime, support criminal investigations, and collaborate with partner countries to protect the safety and property of people worldwide.

Closing security network gap

Taiwan has demonstrated a strong capacity in combating telecom fraud, drug trafficking, and other cross-border crimes. In the fisheries sector, Taiwan has accumulated long-term expertise in identifying vessels involved in human trafficking, forced labour, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. Yet without access to Interpol’s I-24/7 global police communications system, Taiwan cannot share critical information or take part in coordinated enforcement efforts in real-time. Delays in reporting can lead to lost evidence, missed opportunities to apprehend suspects, and prolonged suffering for victims. Taiwan’s absence from this mechanism creates a significant and unnecessary vulnerability in the international law enforcement system — a gap that should be recognised as a serious concern for global security.

Reliable law enforcement partner

Fraud and financial crime have become increasingly transnational in recent years. Scam syndicates have shifted operations to countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. Victims from around the world have been deceived through false promises of travel or employment and lured into illicit compounds, where they are forced to conduct online fraud. Some are sexually exploited, sold to other criminal groups, or even trafficked for organ harvesting.

On June 30, Interpol issued a crime trend update warning of the continued globalisation of human-trafficking-driven scam centres. According to the report, people from 66 countries across all continents had been trafficked into these criminal operations as of March, with total victims numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Taiwan’s police have the experience, expertise, and operational capacity to help counter such threats. In 2024, Taiwan dismantled the ‘Creative Private Room’, an online forum used for the large-scale distribution of child sexual exploitation materials. With more than 5,000 members, the platform facilitated rapid sharing of illegal content and used cryptocurrency payments to evade detection. The operation’s mastermind, known online as Lao Ma, was based in China. The investigation involved encrypted communications, anonymous networks, cross-border coordination, and cryptocurrency tracing — key challenges faced by the international community in combating online child exploitation. This case demonstrated both Taiwan’s resolve and its capability to tackle cybercrime, as well as its readiness to work with global partners to protect children and combat transnational abuse.

Growing global call for inclusion

In an article published on September 5 titled ‘Taiwan’s Interpol Exclusion Undermines Global Policing Efforts’, Dr John Coyne of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute argued that Taiwan is an important and capable partner in the Indo-Pacific. He emphasised that Taiwan’s ports, airlines, and financial system are prime targets for international criminal networks. Dr Coyne noted that Taiwan’s exclusion delays intelligence sharing and disrupts joint law enforcement efforts, ultimately reducing the effectiveness of global policing.

We urge all countries to support Taiwan’s bid to participate as an observer in the Interpol General Assembly and to meaningfully engage in Interpol’s meetings, mechanisms, and activities. Enabling Taiwan to interact freely with Interpol member states will help close persistent gaps in the global security network.

Chou Yew-woei is Commissioner, Criminal Investigation Bureau