Building a stronger network: Vinluan says the Aseanapol Secretariat aims to connect all of the police forces of member countries via one conduit. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
NOT many Malaysians seem to be aware that the secretariat of Asean’s police force is permanently based in Kuala Lumpur. As the country gears up to chair the bloc next year, the executive director of the Asean National Police (Aseanapol) Secretariat wants to raise awareness of this unique regional force.
David Martinez Vinluan, a colonel in the Philippines National Police, is the Secretariat’s eighth executive director and the first from his home country, with tenure from January 2024 to the end of 2025.
Vinluan sits down with Sunday Star to share his aims and goals for the coalition of Asean police forces.
> Global experience
Vinluan has been a police officer for more than 27 years and has experience and training in a variety of fields, including being certified by the United States Department of Justice on country terrorism.
He also served in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Haiti.
“My stint in the UN did not end with that, as I was a staff member for six years as a desk officer at UN headquarters as well as desk officer for peacekeeping missions in Darfur, Somalia, and Libya,” he says.
That’s why his core expertise leans more towards diplomacy and international relations, as time spent on peacekeeping missions enabled Vinluan to see different scenarios of conflict.
“It was a good building block that prepared me to work here and come up with some innovations so that we can make Aseanapol relevant for all citizens of the member countries,” he says.
> Aseanapol? What’s that?
“I get mostly this reaction whenever I speak about Aseanapol. Most policemen on the ground do not even know about it.
“I even met a lawyer who was surprised that our secretariat is in Kuala Lumpur,” says Vinluan, adding that it’s time the secretariat is given a higher profile and becomes more relevant.
“We will engage more on social media, such as posting tips on crime prevention and emerging crime trends that impact member countries, especially Malaysia.
“We have opened up at least five social media pages, where we post safety tips and scam awareness. They are getting some traction but we need to step up efforts to ensure that our messages are relevant to all 10 member countries,” he says.
Vinluan adds that it’s vital for such awareness efforts to be conducted as a form of accountability for the secretariat to member countries.
“We came up with a programme with the acronym ‘David’.
“It stands for ‘Dedication to serve and protect with Accountability, transparency and integrity to address the V-UCADD (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, diverse and disruptive) transactional challenges to peace and security by Invigorating Aseanapol’s service delivery in partnership with responsive dialogue partners, observers, and stakeholders for the Development of the region as a safer place to live, to work, and to do business in’.
“This programme is a guide for me so that at the end of my term, I can analyse whether I have accomplished the goals set or not,” he says.
Vinluan (middle) discussing matters with the secretariat director of police services ACP Dr Bakri Zainal Abidin (left) while another officer looks on at the secretariat headquarters recently. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
> Emerging threat of AI
Aseanapol focuses on 10 core crimes. The top three that most affect all 10 member countries are drug trafficking, cybercrimes, and trafficking in persons, Vinluan explains.
But since the Covid-19 pandemic that began in 2020, when the world moved online in droves, a lot of people have been falling victim to cybercrimes such as love scams and other forms of scams as well as fake news thanks to the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
“I discovered that not many member countries are using AI in law enforcement, let alone maximising its use.
“This must be rectified soon as criminals are actually fully utilising AI in their crimes such as in the form of social engineering, fake voicemails, and deepfakes to dupe victims.
“These are tools that are used to victimise citizens of the 10 member countries. I have seen a lot of scams perpetrated using AI even only after seven months at the secretariat,” he says.
> Coming up soon
Vinluan says the secretariat is reaching out to its 12 dialogue partners, 11 observers, and like-minded partners who are contributing to capacity building for police personnel of the 10 member countries.
“All of the police forces from the 10 member countries are benefiting from capacity building programmes organised by us, including training, conferences, and seminars.
“This is vital so that police personnel and officers have the necessary capacity to perform their duties,” he says.
Vinluan says the secretariat aims to reinvigorate its activities and service delivery with the active participation of all parties.
“In terms of capacity building, we organise face-to-face and online training sessions. For example, we organised the Asean Police Forensic Science Network training in Indonesia recently as well as training on fraudulent documents for investigators.
“There are also conferences organised by NGOs for law enforcement agencies such as a recent one on countering wildlife crimes – wildlife crimes such as poaching and smuggling require a multiagency approach to solve it,” he says.
> Creating a connection
Vinluan says the Aseanapol Secretariat aims to connect all of the police forces of member countries via one conduit.
“We want to help formulate policies against transnational crimes and work together with all member countries to keep the region safe.
“It is vital for all Asean police forces to unite for the safety and security of the region,” he says.
With most member countries having a land connection – except for the Philippines – it enables criminals to travel between countries easily, Vinluan points out.
“While each country has its respective border entry points, criminals often use secret passages to travel between countries.
“Aseanapol member countries have to work together to curb such illegal transborder movements,” he says.
This is a vital part of why the Aseanapol Secretariat was formed: to be a police-to-police communication platform.
“For example, if one police agency discovers intelligence that a criminal is entering another country illegally, they just have to call or inform the destination country via the secretariat so that action can be taken,” he says.
The secretariat is also developing an electronic Aseanapol database, Vinluan says.
“One of our goals is to come up with a dashboard so that we can showcase statistics of major crimes in the region and for each member country.
“For now, we have an annual report on various topics, including overall emergence of crimes, modus operandi, and identified persons of interest that reside or have bases of operation within the region,” he says.
For instance, Vinluan says many are still pointing towards the “Golden Triangle” of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand as a source of much of the drugs being trafficked globally but the secretariat is more focused on efforts and actions taken by the respective countries to combat the drug menace.
“At the end of the day, police agencies are talking to each other, especially through our secretariat. Every time I meet the police chiefs of member countries, I always stress the fact that Aseanapol is here so let’s maximise its use.
“We stand ready to support and connect member countries to enable a smooth and efficient exchange of information,” he said.
Vinluan (fourth from left) and the secretariat director of police services ACP Dr Bakri Zainal Abidin (third from left) with other secretariat officers at the secretariat headquarters recently. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
> The Malaysian tie
With Malaysia chairing Asean next year, Vinluan says it is a very good opportunity to expand Aseanapol’s mission and vision of relevancy.
“In the end, whatever programmes or efforts against transnational crimes that leaders of nations discuss and agree upon, the police forces will be the ones to execute them.
“For example, if leaders want to focus on tackling trafficking in persons, definitely the police will spearhead the efforts, and Aseanapol will be the best avenue to serve as a conduit for all Asean police forces,” he says.
As for working in Malaysia, Vinluan says he sees a lot of similarities between Malaysia and the Philippines.
“I come from Zamboanga City in Mindanao, which is really close to Sabah, so I am able to easily adapt to the situation in Malaysia.
“In terms of language, I see many Malay words that are similar to Filipino ones, such as ‘sakit’, ‘rumah’, and ‘ular’, because the linguistic history of the Filipino language has Malay influences as well,” he says.
While he is humbled to have been appointed as Secretariat executive director, Vinluan insists that he leads a team effort.
“Leaders don’t talk about ‘I’, they talk about the team effort. I am merely one of the moving parts and I have very competent officers with me, especially the director of police services Asst Comm Dr Bakri Zainal Abidin,” he says, referring to former principal assistant director of the Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department.
Vinluan says his team of seasoned officers is diligently working towards improving the secretariat, from developing an electronic database to getting contact persons of member countries to work together and coordinate responses.
“It is the people in the background that are the unsung heroes.
“We have desk officers for each member country, where they maintain cordial relations and exchange of information with the liaisons of the member countries.
“It is very important to maintain good relations and communications with our counterparts in the field,” he says.
In furthering such communications, Vinluan says the secretariat will host the Asean High Table dialogue in October.
“The event will touch on various issues including the way forward for Aseanapol,” he says.
