EUROPOL
Europol is the law enforcement agency of the European Union. Our aim is to help achieve a safer Europe by supporting the law enforcement agencies of European Union member states in their fight against international serious crime and terrorism.
More than 620 staff at Europol headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands work closely with law enforcement agencies in the 27 European Union member states and in other non-EU partner states such as Australia, Canada, the USA and Norway.
As Europol officers have no direct powers of arrest, we support law enforcement colleagues by gathering, analysing and disseminating information and coordinating operations. Our partners use the input to prevent, detect and investigate offences, and to track down and prosecute those who commit them. Europol experts and analysts take part in Joint Investigation Teams which help solve criminal cases on the spot in EU countries.
Europol personnel come from different kinds of law enforcement agencies, including regular police, border police, customs and security services. This multi-agency approach helps to close information gaps and minimise the space in which criminals can operate.
Some 130 Europol Liaison Officers are based at Europol headquarters. These ELOs are seconded to Europol by the EU member states and our non-EU partners. They guarantee fast and effective cooperation based on personal contact and mutual trust.
UNIQUE SERVICES
From our position at the heart of the European security architecture means we offer a unique range of services. Europol is a support centre for law enforcement operations, a hub for criminal information, and a centre for law enforcement expertise.
Analysis is at the core of our activities. Europol employs more than 100 criminal analysts who are among the best trained in Europe. This gives Europol one of the largest concentrations of analytical capability in the EU. Our analysts use state-of-the-art tools which support member states’ investigations on a daily basis.
To give our partners a deeper insight into the criminal problems they are dealing with, Europol produces regular assessments which offer comprehensive and forward-looking analyses of crime and terrorism in the European Union. The European Organised Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA) identifies and assesses emerging threats. The OCTA describes the structure of organised crime groups and the way they operate, and the main types of crime affecting the European Union. The EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report
(TE-SAT), published annually, gives a detailed account of the state of terrorism in the EU.
Europol is a high-security operational centre. We deal with more than 9,000 cases a year, turning high-quality analysis into operational successes. This flexible service centre operates non-stop: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Europol serves as an EU centre of expertise, providing a central platform for law enforcement experts from the European Union countries.
Europol officers are always ready to travel at short notice and provide support with our mobile office. Our presence is also in demand in the fight against illicit drugs and we have a fully operational team to help dismantle synthetic drugs laboratories on-the-spot.
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY
International crime and terrorist groups operate worldwide and make use of the latest technology. To ensure an effective and coordinated response, Europol needs to be equally flexible and innovative, and make sure its methods and tools are up to date. We have state-of-the-art databases and communication channels, offering fast and secure capabilities for storing, searching, visualising and linking information.
Gathering, analysing and disseminating this information entails the exchange of large quantities of personal data. Europol sets and adheres to the highest standards of data protection and data security.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Since Europol can offer a flexible response, we focus on different areas of criminal and terrorist activity from year to year, depending on the demands of the situation. Our main priorities, however, tend to remain relatively stable, reflecting those of international criminal and terrorist groups. Over the years we have built up substantial experience in fighting drug trafficking, illicit immigration networks and trafficking in human beings, illicit vehicle trafficking, cyber crime, money laundering and forgery of money. Europol is the European central office to combat euro counterfeiting.
Europol’s main goal is to help achieve a safer Europe for the benefit of all EU citizens.
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