The global landscape of crime is more complex, adaptive, and dangerous than ever before. As police leaders, we face a rapidly shifting threat environment shaped by technological innovation, geopolitical instability, and the relentless ingenuity of criminal networks. From synthetic drug trafficking to AI-enabled cybercrime, the challenges we confront demand a coordinated, global response rooted in intelligence sharing, partnerships, innovation, and trust.
There is one thing I have learned from my travels as president of the IACP and throughout my long career in policing: crime has no boundaries. It is not confined by geography or borders. Whether working alongside the Colombia National Police; collaborating with INTERPOL; or engaging with colleagues in the United Arab Emirates, Poland, Spain, France, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, I’ve witnessed firsthand how criminal networks operate across jurisdictions. Their reach is global, their methods are evolving, and their impact is felt in every corner of the world.
Technology has become both a tool and a target in this evolving threat landscape. Cybercrime has grown into a sprawling ecosystem of ransomware, financial fraud, and AI-driven deception. Criminals now use artificial intelligence to generate deepfake videos, impersonate officials, and automate phishing attacks. They also use AI to optimize logistics, evade detection, and launder money through decentralized finance platforms. Technology is also being used to identify and dox police. All of this makes our jobs more complex and difficult.
Synthetic drugs have become a dominant force in the global narcotics trade. Fentanyl analogs and methamphetamines are now produced in decentralized labs using legally sourced precursor chemicals, often in regions with little regulatory oversight. These substances are cheap, potent, and easy to transport, making them ideal for drug cartels that have evolved into polycriminal enterprises. These groups don’t just traffic drugs—they also engage in human trafficking, cybercrime, and financial fraud, using the same infrastructure to facilitate their crimes.
We must embrace international partnerships that transcend jurisdictional boundaries and foster mutual trust.
Human trafficking has evolved into a more complex and insidious threat. Traffickers are increasingly leveraging digital platforms to recruit, manipulate, and control victims—often under the guise of legitimate opportunities. Alarmingly, there is a growing trend of trafficked individuals being coerced into conducting cyber scams under the threat of violence. Victims are frequently lured through social media, transported across borders, and exploited. This convergence of trafficking and cybercrime demands urgent, coordinated action.
As police leaders, we are often asked to confront these threats with tools and frameworks that were not designed for the speed and scale of modern transnational crime. Jurisdictional boundaries, inconsistent legal standards, and limited extradition agreements create gaps that criminals exploit with precision. Intelligence sharing is too often hampered by bureaucratic silos, data privacy laws, and a lack of real-time coordination. Resource disparities between nations further complicate joint operations, leaving some agencies overburdened and others under-equipped. To be effective, we must not only build trust across borders—we must also modernize the mechanisms that allow us to act swiftly and in unison.
Emerging technologies offer powerful new tools for prevention, detection, and disruption. Predictive analytics and machine learning can help us identify patterns of criminal behavior before they escalate. Digital forensics and cross-border evidence-sharing platforms are making it easier to build cases that span continents. But technology is not a silver bullet. It must be paired with training, ethical safeguards, and a commitment to collaboration. When used wisely, these tools can help us stay one step ahead in a fight that is increasingly being waged in both physical and digital domains.
No single agency or nation can tackle transnational crime alone. We must embrace international partnerships that transcend jurisdictional boundaries and foster mutual trust. This means coordinating legal frameworks, sharing intelligence in real time, and ensuring that our goals are aligned. As we look ahead, it’s clear that the IACP continues to be an invaluable forum for developing partnerships and gaining insights into evolving crime trends.
By working together, we can amplify our impact, deny criminals the space to operate, and protect our communities from the harms of transnational crime.d
Please cite as
Ken A. Walker, “Confronting the Evolving Landscape of Transnational Crime,” President’s Message, Police Chief 92, no. 9 (September 2025): 6–7.
