Indonesia and Cambodia are taking their police-to-police partnership to the next level, in an effort to turn policy into real-world impact.

In an April 9 meeting facilitated by the embassy of Indonesia in Phnom Penh, a high-level Indonesian police delegation led by Inspector General Krishna Murti met with the Cambodian National Police’s INTERPOL team, led by Major General Phauk Kolkomar, to boost coordination against transnational crimes.

The focus? Upgrading joint efforts under an existing 2023 memorandum of understanding (MoU) on preventing and combating transnational crimes — especially human trafficking and cybercrime, and ramping up capacity-building programmes.

Embassy spokesperson Linda Widiyanti, who attended the meeting, highlighted that the discussion focused on strengthening police-to-police cooperation, particularly in implementing the 2023 MoU on Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Transnational Crimes and Enhancing Capacity Building.

“There’s significant potential for collaboration, especially in training and information exchange,” she explained.

The main purpose of the meeting was to introduce and strengthen closer cooperation between the Cambodian National Police and the Indonesian National Police, particularly in sharing and exchanging information related to transnational crimes, according to the General Commissariat of the National Police.

“During the meeting, both parties also agreed to enhance collaboration in human resource development and training, intelligence exchange, and the implementation of initiatives under the 2023 MoU between Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior and the Indonesian National Police,” it said.

That collaboration is already showing results: Cambodian officers recently joined a joint forum in Bali focused on handling human trafficking cases, which strengthened cooperation between frontline agencies in both countries.

With over 161,000 Indonesians visiting Cambodia last year, both sides acknowledged the need for stronger law enforcement ties to handle the growing challenges of increased people movement, digital crimes and public safety.

Inspector General Krishna also emphasised the importance of regular info exchange to protect both Cambodian and Indonesian citizens across borders.

The partnership between Cambodian and Indonesian law enforcement aims to spark stronger regional cooperation against trafficking.

“We hope this collaboration sets the tone for a unified ASEAN response,” said ambassador Santo Darmosumarto, ahead of the departure of a Cambodian police delegation to the Bali forum, held last November.