Europol Chief Urges Greater Use of AI to Combat Financial Crime Across Europe

Catherine De Bolle, the Executive Director of Europol, has called for increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against financial crime across Europe. Speaking before the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, De Bolle also emphasized the need for law enforcement agencies to gain more access to private sector data.

"Private companies have more data than anyone else. They decide what we receive, and what we don’t receive," De Bolle explained to the committee. She urged these companies to acknowledge their social responsibility by sharing more data with law enforcement, adding, "We need to have more clarity on accessibility to data and how to use AI and other technological tools in the framework of law enforcement communication."

De Bolle’s remarks followed the release of Europol's report, *Decoding the EU’s Most Threatening Criminal Networks*, which examined hundreds of criminal organizations posing significant threats to the European Union. The report underscored the necessity for Europol to stay ahead of these networks by investing in technology, particularly AI.

“We have a big gap at the moment. Our ICT (information and communication technology) program is being hindered by a lack of resources,” De Bolle said, pointing out the agency’s need for technological development. She reiterated the importance of investing in AI and other new tools to better support law enforcement’s efforts.

In addition to the need for AI and data access, De Bolle highlighted the uneven capabilities of police forces across Europe when dealing with financial crime. While some member states have strong investigative skills in this area, others are lagging. "Investigations related to financial crime are often not at the right level yet," she noted.

De Bolle stressed the importance of integrating financial crime investigations early in the process of tackling criminal networks. "What we are trying to convince member states of is that when you start investigating a criminal network, you immediately have to start investigating financial crime. If you don’t do that, they [the criminal networks] will win,” she warned.

The Europol chief’s remarks reinforce the need for cooperation between law enforcement and private businesses, as well as the growing importance of AI and other technologies in combating complex criminal activities across Europe.

By fLEXI tEAM