Title: Financial Crime Training Boosts Cooperation among Cook Islands Agencies

Overview

Organised Crime Office (OCO), PICP, and New Zealand Police collaborated to conduct a 5-day training on financial crime in Rarotonga, Cook Islands (Dec 1-8, 2018)
Partnership among PICP, OCO, and PIDF to deliver joint training on crime-related issues to law enforcement and relevant organizations.

Participants

Over 14 representatives from various Cook Islands enforcement bodies
Police, Customs, Financial Intelligence Unit, Crown Law Office, Tax Department, Ministry of Finance, Immigration, and Biosecurity.

Objective of the Training

Increase understanding and awareness of illicit financial flows and their detrimental impact on local and regional economies.
Emphasize the importance of collaboration among border agencies and free-flowing information exchange in fighting transnational organized crime (TOC) and related offenses, like money laundering, currency smuggling, environmental crime, and tax fraud.

Training Topics

Illicit financial flows
Tax fraud
Customs valuation
Trade-based money laundering
Informal money transfer systems
Risk management
Legislative platforms
Information sharing

Outcome and Significance

“As the battle against financial crimes continues, it is crucial for stakeholders to unite and share knowledge to combat these complex issues.” - OCO

Highlighted the interconnected nature of financial crimes.
Reiterated the importance of regional and inter-agency cooperation to address financial crimes systematically.

Conclusion

The 5-day training on financial crime served as an essential step towards strengthening the fight against financial crimes in the Cook Islands. By increasing awareness and fostering collaboration among participating agencies, the training emphasized the significance of a unified approach in addressing the evolving security landscape.