Coalition of Policial Networks
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The Coalition of Policial Networks (COPNET) is an international governmental organisation dedicated to ensuring and facilitating cooperation between the policial networks of its member-states. Dedicated to ensuring public safety, the organisation's operations are primarily intended to combat terrorism, crimes against sapient-kind, organized crime, piracy, production and/or trafficking of prohibited and/or stolen articles, human trafficking, money laundering, child exploitation, serious financial crime, cybercrime and corruption. For the purpose of COPNET, a 'policial network' is the collected law enforcement organisations of a member-state, whether they be 'Police' in the strictest sense or any other form of law enforcing agency.
History
COPNET was first formed in June 2015 by Kouralia and eight other Founding States. It had been a matter of policy for Lord Arthur Travers, Head of the Kouralian Noble Party, that such an organisation should be formed and after becoming First Minister of Kouralia in 2013 this was something which began to be effected. COPNET came into being on the 18th of June 2015, with the position of Director held by a Kouralian and the position of Deputy Director held by a Menelmacari, both appointed without vote by the founding or initially joining members.
Due to its extreme newness, it has not yet taken any significant steps or aided any notable inquiries.
Purpose
While staffed by professionals from the member states, COPNET does not have any agents who are attested, declared, warranted, deputised, or otherwise-possessed of law enforcement powers (such as that of arrest), except for those which that individual may have explicitly been granted by a member-state of its own volition. In this manner it is not a supranational law enforcement agency: its purpose is instead to facilitate and promote the greatest possible degree of cooperation and mutual aid between all member-states' policial networks. As a secondary purpose, it is intended to effect the spread of best practice and enhance the skills of member-states' policial networks through facilitation of exchanges, training programs and other measures.
COPNET provides a single, 24/7 contact and access point for the policial networks of its member-states; in this manner communication and liaison is streamlined through collated knowledge and insight into the workings of each nation's policial network. COPNET also provides a framework for access to international databases on targets, activities and crime trends. COPNET's databases contain collections of fingerprints and face photos, lists of wanted persons, DNA samples, travel documents, and other information as provided by member-states. Contribution to these databases is not mandated, and may only be done in-line with that member-state's policies and laws regarding retention and dissemination of such information by the government.
Finally, all COPNET member-states agree to maintain a roster of suitably experienced, qualified and/or trained individuals who may be dispatched to assist inexperienced, ill-qualified, untrained, overwhelmed or otherwise-aid-requiring policial networks in dealing with major inquiries or critical incidents such as terrorist attacks, assassinations, or mass crimes. These Critical Incident Response Teams are intended to assist with victim identification, suspect identification and the dissemination of information to other member-states' policial networks. In addition, at the request of local authorities, they can act as a central command and logistics operation to coordinate the efforts of any policial networks involved in the case.
COPNET Travel Documentation
COPNET's staff and representatives of member-states' policial networks may be issued with COPNET travel documentation, valid for travel to COPNET member-states on official business. These documents consist of an e-identification card and e-passport booklet which, in conjunction with the official's own passport, confer special immigration status to reduce response times for personnel deployed to assist with transnational criminal investigations, major events or emergency situations by waiving normal visa requirements.
It is a condition of membership that a member-state recognises these documents as valid on COPNET official business.
International Alerts
COPNET's staff take an active role in combating criminal activity through the generation and circulation of International Alerts (COPNET-IA), a series of memoranda to communicate information about crimes, criminals and threats to policial networks from all member-states. These alerts are however intended to combat criminal activity only: thus COPNET's staff monitor requests to ensure they are not unlawful, immoral, or of unduly political, prejudicial or military character. The International Alerts are graded as follows:
- A Grade 1 Alert is issued against an individual who has been charged and is wanted by a court in a member-state for a crime. This Alert informs all member-states as to that status and communicates a desire for that individuals arrest and for the commencement of extradition proceedings.
- A Grade 2 Alert is issued against an individual who is subject to, or a person of interest pertaining to a criminal investigation. This Alert informs all member-states as to that status and acts as a request to identify, locate and obtain the specified information on that individual.
- A Grade 3 Alert is issued against an individual, organisation, event or process that is considered to be a threat or danger to public safety, persons, or property. It details relevant criminal activity along with the suspected intended criminal conduct and/or threat and the grounds for such reasonable suspicion. This Alert is informational and does not seek a response.
- A Grade 4 Alert is issued against a location, Modus Operandi, object, procedure, or otherwise non-personal aspect of a crime. It details the relevant aspect with all the relevant information to assist other nations' policial networks with their investigations.
- A Grade 5 Alert is issued against an individual who cannot identify themselves, or to locate a missing person. It details the individual in the fullest detail and acts as a request for member-states to assist in identifying and/or locating the focus of the Alert.
- A Grade 6 Alert is issued against a deceased or otherwise long-term incapacitated individual who cannot be identified. It details the individual in the fullest detail and acts as a request for member-states to assist in identifying the focus of the alert.
Notable Issues of International Alerts
Members
9 Member-States initially formed the founding members of the organisation; these members were rapidly joined by a number of other states.
Founding Members | Other Members |
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Facilities