European Police Chiefs Convention 2024 focused on challenges of modern policing

On 24-25 September, more than 450 police chiefs and delegates from EU Member States, non-EU countries, international organisations, and agencies gathered at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague. Participants discussed the challenges of modern policing, strategies to combat emerging criminal threats, and ways to enhance international cooperation. 

The European Police Chiefs Convention (EPCC) is the most significant law enforcement convention taking place in the EU. Co-hosted this year by the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Convention covered topics such as drug trafficking, online fraud, and the impact of cyberattacks, disinformation and hybrid threats on policing.

Several conclusions emerged during the discussions:

• There is a critical need to focus on high-value targets to achieve operational success. Investigations that do not address the root causes of criminal organisations may temporarily disrupt their activities, but these activities will inevitably resurface in different forms or areas.
• While prevention alone is insufficient, it remains a crucial component in the fight against organised crime. Public awareness is a key element for effective prevention. 
• Technology firms, service providers and AI platforms have become essential players in shaping the landscape of internal security and crime fighting. Strong partnerships with private sector are crucial, along with a reliable framework for access to data and the ability to manage and analyse large and complex datasets.
• The evolution of hybrid threats requires the attention of police chiefs. Finding a suitable role for law enforcement will be important, working alongside and complementing national security and intelligence services.

Final conclusions should be presented at the next Europol’s Management Board meeting on 8-9 October and then shared with EU Member States.