The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) unveils the first-ever fully operational Metaverse uniquely designed for law enforcement worldwide.
Interpol announced the initiative at the surprise session of the 90th Interpol General Assembly in New Delhi and “General Assembly delegates in New Delhi were able to digitally enter the Lyon building through avatars, using virtual reality headsets.”
Registered users of the Interpol metaverse can communicate with other officers via their avatars, and explore a virtual replica of the Interpol General Secretariat offices in Lyon, France.
Users can even enroll in immersive training programs for forensic investigation and other policing skills in the metaverse. The Interpol Secure Cloud, which powers the Interpol Metaverse, guarantees the platform’s neutrality.
In order to ensure that this new virtual environment is secure by design, Interpol also announced the formation of an Expert Group on the Metaverse that will reflect the concerns of law enforcement worldwide.
In a Metaverse classroom, professionals from the Interpol Capacity Building and Training Directorate conducted a live demonstration of a training course on travel document verification and passenger screening “using Interpol capabilities.”
After that, students were transferred to an airport where they could use their newly learned abilities at a virtual border point.
Mr. Oberoi, Interpol’s Executive Director of Technology and Innovation, stated “The Metaverse has the potential to transform every aspect of our daily lives with enormous implications for law enforcement. But in order for police to understand the Metaverse, we need to experience it.”
Many criminals are already utilizing the Metaverse, and as more people start using it and technology advances, the number of crimes that might be committed will only increase.
Just last month, a South Korean man was sentenced to four years in prison for violating the “Act on the Protection of Children and Youth” for producing and storing sexually exploitative content involving minors he lured on the metaverse.
Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock noted “For many, the Metaverse seems to herald an abstract future, but the issues it raises are those that have always motivated Interpol – supporting our member countries to fight crime and making the world, virtual or not, safer for those who inhabit it. We may be entering a new world, but our commitment remains the same.”
Interpol is not the first police force to operate in the metaverse, as just a few days back UAE’s Ajman Police announced they are gearing up to offer its “Request for Sponsorship” service on the metaverse, becoming the first police force in the world to do so.
