PH Ambassador De La Vega, PNP Chief General Azurin Jr. Discuss Developments in PH-AU Law Enforcement Cooperation

Philippine Ambassador to Australia H.E. Ma. Hellen De La Vega (right side, center) briefs PNP Chief PGen Rodolfo Azurin Jr. (left side, center) on developments in Philippine-Australia cooperation on countering transnational crime. (Canberra PE photo)

CANBERRA, 11 April 2023 – Philippine Ambassador to Australia Ma. Hellen De La Vega together with officers of the Philippine Embassy and the Office of the Defense and Armed Forces Attaché in Canberra welcomed officials from the Philippine National Police (PNP) led by PNP Chief PGen Rodolfo Azurin Jr. to the Embassy on 04 April 2023.

The delegation, also composed of the Director for Investigation and Detective Management PMGen Eliseo Cruz, Director for Logistics PMGen Rolando Olay, Director for Information and Communication Technology PMGen Valeriano De Leon, Director for Plans PMGen Richard Banac and Director for Personnel and Records and Management PMGen Robert Rodriguez, will be visiting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) and the facilities of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Canberra and Brisbane as part of the cooperation of the two countries in strengthening law enforcement and addressing transnational crimes.

Ambassador De La Vega emphasized the importance of the ongoing strong police cooperation between the Philippines and Australia. The Ambassador exchanged views with the delegation on pursuing initiatives and capacity-building efforts with Australia towards strengthening resilience against the evolving nature of transnational criminal activities across the region, especially those related to cyber security, terrorism and online child exploitation and abuse.

Cooperation between the PNP and AFP commenced in 1984 and since then, the PNP and AFP have expanded their collaboration on a range of activities to combat terrorism and transnational crime. In 2019, the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC) was jointly established by the PNP in partnership with the AFP, the National Bureau of Investigation, the United Kingdom National Crime Agency and the International Justice Mission. The PNP-AFP MOU on combating transnational crime and developing police cooperation was renewed in February 2022. END

Ambassador De La Vega receives a token from PNP Chief PGEN Azurin. (Canberra PE photo)

Ambassador De La Vega (front row, 2nd from left) and officials from the Philippine Embassy in Canberra and the Office of the Defense and Armed Forces Attaché welcome PNP Chief PGEN Azurin (front row, 3rd from left) and the PNP delegation. (Canberra PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.philembassy.org.au, or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAustralia/.