The event was hosted by UNOCT and moderated by Mr. Nigel John Lazarus, Law Enforcement Expert and Programme Manager of the Special Project Section, UNOCT. Opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Jon Christian Møller, Police and Justice Adviser, Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations who spoke highly of NCHR cooperation with the Norwegian police and the Norwegian Police University College (PHS) to advance investigative interviewing for intelligence gathering internationally.
Sharing best practices
NCHR submitted a 90 minute webinar and participated in a panel debate on investigative interviewing in support of UNOCT's initiative to gather and share best practices to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks.
NCHR's webinar consisted of a series of lectures by staff and partners, including opening and closing remarks by NCHR Senior Adviser, Mr. Gisle Kvanvig, a lecture delivered by Dr. Asbjørn Rachlew, Detective Superintendent, a presentation on the Lebanese experience by Dr. Suzanne Jabbour, CEO of Restart Center for rehabilitation of victims of violence & torture, followed by a presentation by Detective Superintendent/ NCHR expert consultant, Dr. Ivar Fahsing. Finally, the audience heard from Professor Lilian Milnitsky Stein from the Law Postgraduate Department at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil.
UN Global Programme on National Interagency Coordination Mechanisms
The event is part of a series of online study visits and thematic exchanges on the establishing and operating of national interagency coordination mechanisms, fusion cells from 12-26th of February. The UN Global Programme on National Interagency Coordination Mechanisms - Fusion cells, aims at:
- The promotion of Fusion cells and their security benefits whilst raising awareness with regards to risks related to terrorism;
- The promotion of threat and risk management to assess the threat, vulnerability and risk associated with Terrorism;
- The development of a compendium of good practices to ensure that measures are designed to establish and operate Fusion Cells;
- Strengthening Member States’ capacity to develop National level comprehensive and collaborative strategies, including through public-private partnerships;
- Providing, upon request, tailored capacity-building on detection, response, and mitigation, as well as investigation of terrorism.
Background note
The current terrorist threat to national, regional, and international security, as well as the ongoing development of terrorist modus operandi – increasing application of asymmetrical combat tactics outside of combat zones – requires constant monitoring, adaptability and requires considerable efforts and resources from member states, thus making interagency cooperation critical in preventing and responding to terrorist attacks. At a national level, quality coordination mechanisms that fuse information that enables informed decision-making can help prevent attacks from taking place, ensure appropriate preparedness and response measures are in place, as well as drive investigations to ensure best evidence is gathered, and contribute to a more effective response to and recovery from a terrorist attack. Such a process requires the development of a horizontal, cooperative, inter-ministerial, interagency, and fluid CT architecture, capable of rapidly gathering information from all sources, conducting high quality analysis, and redirecting the processed output to relevant entities, under specific and institutional rules and procedures. Such an approach will help promote intelligence led activity, enhance investigations and an increase in the likelihood of achieving a successful prosecution.