Doha meet discusses new trends in fighting terror

The 7th annual conference of the International Association of Police Academies (INTERPA) organised by the Qatar Police College  concluded yesterday.The three-day event, held on the topic “New Trends in Combating Terrorism and Extremism” witnessed participation of 42 countries, 47 institutions and five international organisations.As many as 21 papers were presented in six different sessions and the conference approved the applications for membership of five countries, namely Timor-Leste, Cameroon, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Zambia. In all, the INTERPA includes 72 institutions from 56 countries.A number of points such as the differences between attitude and behaviour in psychology books, links between violent attitudes and actions regarding extremism and the necessity of different set of skills for fighting terrorists and extremists were discussed at the conference.It was pointed out at the meeting that though the rational choice still had a significant impact there is  an increasing recognition for emotions and emotional experience in understanding political extremism. The conference also acknowledged the role of social networks  in communication among people around the world. It also dealt with the issue of how terrorist groups misused social networks to recruit potential candidates.The field of information and communication has paved the way for more sophisticated ways to spread extremism across the world, delegates pointed out.The meeting highlighted the role of families in fighting terrorism and the necessity of seeking international co-operation in the prevention and combating of terrorism and extremism in social networks.It was observed that the Southeast Asian region is one of the most important targets of international terrorism and extremism. There is a greater need for co-operation between countries to combat exploitation of the terrorist networks, it was pointed out.The meeting felt there is a necessity of conducting regular studies on terrorist activities on football venues and the roles of global, regional and local sports institutions in fighting such extremist groups.The importance of providing a safe environment during sport events, and the necessity of co-ordination between various institutions, law enforcement agencies, local authorities and the public was also highlighted by participants.The meeting discussed the preparations to be made for the year, including information on planning, security preparation, strategic partnerships and related projects.The participants highlighted the necessity of improved marketing strategies to dissuade Jihadi fighters. Some of the delegates also explained how some terrorist organisations operated with a false understanding of religion and how they misinterpreted religious rulings to their benefit.There is an urgent need for a detailed study on anti-terrorist and extremist programmes, said the organisers while highlighting the necessity of putting in place special evidence procedures in the struggle against most nefarious crimes.