Europol hosts 3rd Annual Open Sources Information & Intelligence Conference

On 17 & 18 November 2014, Europol hosted the 3rd Annual Open Sources (OS) Information & Intelligence Conference in The Hague.

Law enforcement agencies in the EU member states use OS information as a vital part of intelligence products, as well as using it to solve crime.

The 14 presentations given this year covered new developments for the use of OS information at Europol and by the UK police, Netherlands police and Prosecution service, as well as police in Denmark and the Federal crime agency in Belgium. Also in attendance were representatives from EU agencies Frontex, OLAF and Eurojust, as well as the European Commission, which pro-actively supports and ensures access to information in the Member States. International organizations in The Hague also sent representatives. Networking and bilateral meetings ensured maximum exchange of best practice tips and opportunities for personal contact with international colleagues.

The over-riding message is that Open Source information now comprises an integral part of intelligence gathering in support of police operations, investigations, customs, evidence gathering and analysis in almost all law enforcement agencies.

93 delegates from 17 countries were welcomed to Europol for this year’s conference. This high number of participants is again demonstrating the increasing importance of OS information for the law enforcement community.