Threat detection and preventative efforts against terrorism
Speech by AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty, APM
International Seminar on Crime Prevention - Building International Cooperation Against Terrorism
27 February 2006
Jakarta
Indonesian National Police Chief (Kapolri), General Sutanto; Chairman of the Indonesia Crime Prevention Foundation, Bapak Da’i Bachtiar; Ambassadors and other members of the diplomatic community; Professor Riaz Hassan (panel member); Dr Ronny Nitibaskara (panel member); distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.
It is a pleasure to be with you here today to participate in this International Seminar on Crime Prevention and to bring you an Australian perspective on current issues and challenges posed by the criminal environment.
At the outset, I’d like to thank the Indonesia Crime Prevention Foundation and its Chairman, Bapak Da’i Bachtiar for hosting this important forum in yet another demonstration of the strong commitment of the Indonesian people to stamping out terrorism and other forms of transnational and organised crime.
The Australian Federal Police is fortunate to have enjoyed a close and long-standing partnership with the Indonesian law enforcement community. We have learnt much from each other over time and the success we have enjoyed fighting crime together in areas such as terrorism, illicit drug trafficking and people smuggling, stands as testament to the true strength of our relationship. We look forward to ongoing cooperation with you as we confront new and emerging crime challenges in the future.
I have been asked to speak today on the topic ‘threat detection and preventative efforts against terrorism’. As we all know, these are among the most difficult aspects in combating terrorism and present the greatest challenges facing the international law enforcement community today.
If we look back over all the terrorism incidents that have occurred around the world in recent years, we have seen terrorist methodologies continuously changing, with each new attack underscoring the importance of prevention and early detection in the fight against terrorism.
During that time, the international law enforcement community has made tremendous advances in responding to terrorist incidents – vastly expanding knowledge in areas such as forensic science, bomb data analysis, disaster victim identification and investigations.
As a result, here in our region, many of the perpetrators have been captured and we have a much better understanding of the changing composition of terrorist networks and techniques.
But developing strong counter-terrorism capabilities that help authorities to reliably detect and prevent terrorist acts, rather than just respond to them, involves substantially more than what we have done in the past.
As we have seen, the characteristics of modern terrorism are such that it is often not responsive or conducive to conventional crime-prevention techniques. Terrorists are highly mobile, they exploit technological advances, operate in small autonomous groups and are continually changing their techniques to evade detection and capture. Their motivations are complex and they are continually raising the stakes.
Therefore, to successfully disable such a complex crime, we need to employ sophisticated strategies that evolve with the changing environment.
In our region, strong foundations have been laid in this regard. However, it is important that we are continually learning from experience and looking for new opportunities to build on these foundations.
Progress to date
Over the past 5 years, the work of many law enforcement agencies in the Asia-Pacific, has been regarded as being at the forefront of the international counter-terrorism response.
At the heart of these efforts has been a strong recognition that cooperation is the key to any strategy for successfully fighting and preventing terrorism. This has achieved results at both operational and strategic levels.
Operationally, if we look to Indonesia as an example…the close cooperation between the Indonesian National Police and the Australian Federal Police - which included the joint investigation into the Bali bombings of 2002 – laid important groundwork for the capture of hundreds of terrorists in the region. These included key operatives such as Azahari, who died last November resisting police.
It also led to the discovery of valuable information about how terrorists are operating in our region.
A most recent demonstration of this was the investigative trail that led to the discovery of documents in Azahari’s ‘hiding place’ in East Java. These have provided authorities with substantial information about the extent of planning involved in mounting an attack.
They have showed how much effort goes into selecting appropriate targets, gathering and mobilising resources, securing the necessary funds and undertaking surveillance to ensure the operation goes according to plan.
Importantly, this ‘footprint’ created by terrorists in the lead-up to an attack has provided law enforcement with important insights – and possible warnings – into the courses of action that could be used to mount future attacks.
In Australia, this type of knowledge and experience gained from working overseas has recently assisted us to identify, what we believe, was an attack in the making on home soil.
As part of that investigation,19 people have been arrested and are now awaiting trial on a host of terrorism-related charges.
Therefore I cannot discuss the case in any detail, except to say that an understanding of the methods used by international terrorists to raise funds, recruit, and acquire specific bomb-making materials was applied during the investigation.
And here in Indonesia, information gleaned during terrorism investigations caused us to become aware that terrorists are targeting centres of cooperation. But ironically, only through cooperation itself – the very thing that terrorists seek to destroy – have their attacks been prevented.
Furthermore, cooperation between Indonesian and Australian authorities has led to significant advances in forensic and bomb data capabilities, which are now being used to track terrorists and respond to terrorist incidents around the world.
For instance, the Disaster Victim Identification protocols formulated during the first Bali bombings investigation have been adopted as the ‘international standard’. They have since been employed at numerous bombings overseas and even in response to natural disasters, such as the Indian Ocean tsunami.
In addition, post-blast and forensic expertise gained during joint investigations paved the way for the establishment of a number of new Bomb Data Centres in countries such as Malaysia and The Philippines. And rapid response capabilities devised for the Bali bombings are also now being used to better preserve and capture evidence at crime scenes around the world.
From an operational perspective, this sort of cooperation has clearly paid enormous dividends in helping to disrupt terrorist activity not just within Indonesia, but around the region as a whole.
Strategic impacts
From a strategic perspective, I think the benefits flowing from a bilateral approach have also opened our eyes to the enormous potential waiting to be realised from international co-operation at multilateral levels.
As we have seen, terrorism is a crime that does not respect borders. It is not uncommon for many countries to be used as a base in the overall planning and execution of attacks.
As we look toward further strengthening our counter-terrorism capabilities – and ultimately preventing terrorist attacks - in the future, it is important for us to build on these foundations and invest in multi-dimensional partnerships that can harness our collective potential.
One important initiative underway in this regard is the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC) in Semarang, an initiative of the Australian and Indonesian governments.
Although still in its infancy having only officially opened its doors in July 2004, it is already creating a wealth of opportunities not just in terms of educating and training police and developing regionally-consistent practices, but in promoting the exchange of information and expertise with law enforcement agencies around the world.
For example, at the first Management of Serious Crime training course offered at the facility, representatives from 15 countries enrolled to participate.
Since then, more than 883 policing ‘students’ have passed through the Centre.
This sort of interface is critical in policing and preventing terrorism over the longer term. It provides a vital platform for networking and collaboration among agencies, which can enhance our capacity for putting together all the pieces of the terrorist ‘jigsaw’.
The potential of this facility has been widely recognised with 28 countries now involved. Outside our immediate region, this has included the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and France. I want to take this opportunity to thank Chairman Pak Da’i for his efforts and vision in the creation of JCLEC.
On this note, I am also pleased to be involved with the INP tomorrow in opening a new Transnational Crime
Co-ordination Centre here in Jakarta. This new facility will provide increased capacity to collect and disseminate intelligence, and will assist with combating all forms of transnational crime including terrorism.
ASEANAPOL is another important initiative that can harness our capability to fight and prevent terrorism. Today, there are 10 member nations and the AFP is privileged to have been given observer status on this important forum.
Police General Sutanto had the far sight and wisdom to bring together Police leaders from ASEAN late last year to problem solve new strategies adopted by terrorists after the 2nd Bali bombing.
One important outcome from an extraordinary meeting of ASEANAPOL, which was held here in Jakarta last November, was the decision to establish a working group to formulate a draft agreement on collaborating to combat terrorism.
Work is now underway to establish a meeting with senior counter-terrorism officials in the region so this important initiative can be progressed. I commend the leadership demonstrated by Indonesia in arranging this meeting and recognising the benefits that can flow to all.
As we look to the future, I think we also need to start thinking about how we can work together to mitigate risks not just for ourselves, but for our partners in the region.
To do this, I think we need to better understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Not only does this require us to trust each other, but to access reliable and timely information. Moreover it urges us to consider what we do with that information and to recognise that what merely informs one agency, is another agency’s essential key to disrupting a critical terrorist event.
I echo the sentiments of Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, in his address to this conference, when he said the key drivers of terrorism need to be addressed.
While we have made significant strides in understanding the drivers of terrorism and radical ideology over recent years, we need to learn more.
We need to find out more about who the terrorists are and why? We need to learn more about how to stop ad hoc groups from networking across borders to recruit, train and carry out their operations. And we need to know more about what succession plans are in place to groom future terrorist leaders?
Only when questions such as these are answered and addressed can we be fully confident that terrorism can be prevented.
In fighting terrorism, it is also important for us as leaders in international security to communicate freely and effectively to help break down some of the prejudices and ignorance that exist within society.
The recent international furore over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed have caused all societies to reflect on the essential attitudes, behaviours and values that define their national culture. It has served to reinforce that democracy is not a commodity that can be exported but must be organic and rise from the wants of a community. With democracy though comes responsibility, a responsibility that balances the rights of an individual to express their views, but in a manner that recognises and respects the views and beliefs of others.
Terrorism in itself has many definitions. This is evident in the efforts of legislators in all our jurisdictions attempting to identify a universal definition that looks to define an underlying motivation.
The common approach endorsed by most jurisdictions is to recognise that terrorism is a criminal act. Ensuring that those who promote or engage in terrorism are brought to justice has been the subject of extensive international debate. This has involved much discussion about the impact of new terrorism legislation to assist law enforcement in interdicting terrorist activity at the earliest possible stages. It has also at times focused on the benefits of establishing an international jurisdiction in which global acts of terrorism can be prosecuted.
The bottom line is that we need to have in place criminal justice systems that enable us to prevent terrorist attacks from occurring and to bring offenders to justice. It is not about targeting any particular group or religion in society, rather an activity that has potential to wreak enormous havoc on society. Therefore, an appropriate balance needs to be struck.
Conclusion
The day before the events of 11 September 2001, Marc Grossman a then Undersecretary of the United States Department of State, spoke to a group of graduating diplomats about the importance of cross-cultural communication in modern leadership.
Your attendance today serves to recognise the importance you place on crossing cultural barriers and in seeking to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the differences that ultimately unite us.
Effective cooperation in detecting and preventing terrorism fundamentally relies upon each of us to understand and value those differences that are so important in developing local solutions to local problems.
At the same time, those differences also cause us to realise that regional challenges, in particular the threat of terrorism, requires the commitment and innovation that can only come from our collective skills and determined resolve.
The building blocks of our partnerships have endured many challenges in recent years and yet still stand strong. New challenges are undoubtedly forming on the horizon. Some will likely be presented by existing or newly formed terrorist organisations. Other challenges will be those that we face amongst each other. It is important that we maintain our resolve to achieve common goals and recognise that our differences also unite us, and will ultimately prove to be our greatest strength.
Finally, I think it is important to say that Indonesia has made considerable inroads into terrorism. As my good friend Singaporean Police Commissioner Khoo Boon Hoi stated at the ASEANAPOL leaders meeting last November, Indonesia has arrested more terrorists than any other country in recent years.
The openness and willingness of the INP to embrace co-operation and, to my mind, lead the fight against terrorism in our region is an excellent example of what this meeting is all about and I commend the former and current leadership of the INP for their efforts.
Thank you.