Global Agreement to Combat Crime Signed in The Hague

The Hague Accord unites public and private entities in systematically fighting crime through anonymous reporting

 The Hague, the Netherlands- October 31 2018. During the Crime Stoppers International(CSI) 39^th Annual Conference—Creating Alliances Against Crime— more than a dozen public institutions, private corporations, NGOs and law enforcement agencies signed The Hague Accord. As the global authority on anonymous reporting, CSI drafted The Hague Accord in an effort to lead a progressive movement to empower communities to take action against criminals and criminal networks through anonymous reporting networks.

“Transnational organized crime poses a growing threat to national and international security, with dire implications for public safety, public health, democratic institutions and economic stability,” said CSI Chief Operations Officer Devrol Dupigny. “Not only are criminal networks expanding, but they are also diversifying their activities so our efforts to combat crime require a coordinated transnational response.”

The Hague Accord was signed by:

• The City of The Hague
• UK Intellectual Property Office
• International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)
• Global Initiative on Transnational Crime
• Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC)
• Uber
• NEC Corporation
• Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT)
• Siracusa Institute
• STOP THE TRAFFIK
• Institute for Financial Crime
• Digital Ally Inc
• Jozu For Women
• Le Freeport
• Crime Stoppers UK

By signing the agreement, these groups commit to:

• Endorse the concept and value of anonymous reporting of transnational organized crime, as championed by CSI; and

• Willingly collaborate in support of the CSI mission: to mobilize the world to report information on crime anonymously.

This important step to unite these groups in this initiative also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16: “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” Today, the most commonly seen transnational organized crimes are money laundering, cybercrime, human trafficking, smuggling and kidnapping, and the trafficking of drugs, weapons, endangered species, body parts, toxic waste and nuclear material and illicit goods. All of these crimes directly threaten the opportunity for societies to evolve and thrive.

CSI and its partners will work during the coming months to implement these strategies as well as engage more organizations in this commitment. As anonymous reporting becomes more prolific, there will be a reduction in crime, creating safer communities. Below is The Hague Accord in its entirety.

The Hague Accord

A global initiative to empower communities to take action against criminals and criminal networks operating in their societies.

We, the Governing Board of Crime Stoppers International [CSI], will:

• Engage, educate and mobilize communities to report information on crime anonymously.
• Stringently maintain the integrity of our reporting procedures and platforms to ensure that the anonymity of individuals who use our systems to report information on crime is protected at all times.
• Work with media partners to assist in the dissemination of relevant messages through a broad range of communication channels.
• Assist in capacity building within law enforcement through the co-ordination and conduct of workshops and seminars and, where warranted, will advocate for the creation of specialized teams to investigate reports of transnational crime.
• Be a main facilitator of private-public cooperation, dialogue and project development and delivery at international level
• Pro-actively contribute to the management and sharing of quality information on transnational organized crime.
• Engage with governments and, where able, advocate for the formulation of appropriate legislative reforms, regulations and enforcement strategies to combat transnational organized crime.

CSI hereby calls on governments, law enforcement, academia, media, major corporations and businesses, and the not-for-profit sector, who share a desire to see citizens empowered to genuinely help solve and prevent crime in their communities, to become a signatory to The Hague Accord.

About CSI

Crime Stoppers International is the global authority on anonymous reporting and is the umbrella organization for approximately 800 certified Crime Stoppers programs operating in 26 different countries across seven geographic regions. Its mission is “to mobilize the world to report information on crime anonymously.” Since its founding in 1976, information provided through the network has led to more than one million arrests and 1.5 million cases solved. The group maintains a co-operation agreement with INTERPOL and has collaborative agreements with organizations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the CNN Freedom Project (CNN), Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) and the International Police Training Institute (IPTI). For the full conference schedule visit www.CSIWorld.org.