Environments influencing the cross-border information exchange of the SPOC and PCCC

Abstract

Cross-border criminality, emerging hybrid security threats demand efficient cross-border police cooperation and information exchange. To answer this need, various communication channels have been established to facilitate trans-border law-enforcement information exchange. The aim of this paper is to introduce the supporting and hindering factors of the two, most commonly used police information exchange channels, namely the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and the Police and Customs Cooperation Centre (PCCC). The author tried to achieve this goal by introducing the relevant scientific theories and using them as a starting point for a qualitative study. The subsequent desk research and indepth interviews helped the researcher to describe the current information exchange process, the hindering and supporting factors, the characteristics and main differences of the SPOC and the PCCC information exchange processes.

Arrived: 3 June 2020
Accepted: 8 July 2020