Protecting the world's children on agenda at AFP conference in Sydney

Law enforcement representatives from 47 countries have gathered in Sydney this week to discuss and develop strategy on combating crimes against children at an Interpol meeting hosted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty said the 26th Annual Interpol Specialist Meeting on Crimes Against Children was timely as it followed the resolution last week of Operation Centurion which led to more than 100 Australians being charged with accessing child pornography images online.

"Operation Centurion is a good example of why a global law enforcement approach is needed to combat this type of crime, with the images of abused children from a website in Europe accessed by people in 170 countries," Commissioner Keelty said.

“The knowledge, experience and expertise shared by law enforcement agencies this week will assist in the development of better practices to combat these crimes proactively rather than reactively," he said.

Commissioner Keelty said the three-day meeting, which began on Tuesday, had been very productive and informative.

“Member countries of Interpol attend these conferences to keep up to date with new trends and developments in child protection issues, and by hosting the meeting the AFP has placed itself in a better position to remain vigilant and stay ahead of those who wish to perpetrate such crimes,” he said.

The meeting covered a range of topics, including serious violent crimes against children, commercial exploitation and trafficking of children, sex offenders and internet-facilitated crimes against children.

The AFP sponsored 20 partner agencies within the Asia Pacific Region to attend the meeting, which historically has had limited attendance from Asia-Pacific countries. These countries include Thailand, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Timor Leste, PNG, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus will provide today's closing address which is open to the media at 4pm Dockside at Darling Harbour.