In accordance with the development of the economy there comes the increase of many kinds of crimes: transnational organized crimes: human trafficking, drug trafficking, theft of cars and antiquities, business fraud, high-tech crimes. It is the police force who is responsible for maintaining the political security, social order and guaranteeing the development of economy as well

In the struggle against international criminals, every country has improved the international cooperation.The Interpol was founded in Monaco in 1914. Vietnam has become the 156th member of this organization since 1991

In addition to the achievements of the police force, the services of many generations of teaching staffs should be acknowledged. They have trained thousands of police officers with qualifications of undergraduate and post- graduate education for the Vietnam People’s Police force. Besides, the achievements and experience of international police forces in lectures in the PPA have played an important role in their teaching career.

The PPA’s international relations

Since its foundation in 1968 (before known as College of Police), the Directorate of the PPA has paid much attention to international relations. We have sent several lectures, students to the Democratic Republic of Germany, Hungary, and Czech to study such special fields as law, scene of crime investigation, investigation tactics, foreign languages and many Soviet experts have come to help the PPA with the training. The lectures and staffs coming back from these countries have been considered as the core in the training and managing at the PPA.

After the collapse of the Soviet and Eastern countries, implementing the Doi Moi (Renovation) policy, the PPA step by step joined the international common police house.

The PPA joined the Principals of the International Police University Conference organized in Interpol Headquarter in Lyon, France 3 times respectively in 1992, 1996 and 2002.

After that, the Delegation of the General Police Bureau, French Ministry of Domestic Affairs, visited the Peoples Police Academy for the first time in 1993. Then high-ranking leaders of the police force of such countries as France, Germany, Australia, and the USA have frequently visited the PPA and sent experts to run training courses, workshops for teachers and staffs. Such new concepts as controlled drug transportation, high technology crime prevention, terrorism, kidnapping, dissuasion of crowds..., the organization and tasks of other countries police force have been reported in details in the special reports of the foreign experts and attachés in the PPA.

Today many lectures and students of the PPA are studying in England, Australia, and Russia. Several delegations of the PPA have visited, worked in China, Russia, Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia for exchanging experience in police training. In addition, the PPA has helped Laos and Cambodians police forces with the training of undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Being aware of the importance of international relations, the Directorate of the PPA asked for permission from the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security to allow attachés, foreign liaisons to share experience, make special reports for the staffs and students of the PPA. In the last school year, the representatives of JICA (Japan), KOICA (Korea), England, the USA, France, China, Russia frequently visited, and joined many activities of the PPA such as the new school year ceremonies, evening parties, etc.

As a result of door-opening and cooperating, the PPA has gained some certain achievements in the international relations, step by step building up the international relations, having an understanding of the organizations of law protection and enforcement of many countries in the region and the world.

However, its necessary for the PPA to foster the international cooperation and become a partner of other international police academies and universities.

Some suggestions for the international relations of the PPA:

- The PPA should have a unit specializing in foreign relations. It is the advisory staff for the Directorate in the field of international relations and uniting the concerning activities of the PPA at home and abroad.

- In the short term:

+ Improving the foreign relations: Inviting attachés and foreign liaisons, police experts on business in Vietnam to report specialized fields, especially the transnational, organized crimes, informatics crimes; inviting lectures from police universities, and ILEA training center (Bangkok) to give lectures in the PPA; taking advantage of material aid from international organizations and other countries police force.

+ Becoming friends with police universities, law departments of international universities to provide undergraduate and post-graduate training for students (they study at home for some years and for other years abroad). The PPA continues to send students to Russia and China in the future.

+ Making plans for now up to 2010: Changing high-quality classes into paralanguage ones for the last 2 years of training (students study some subjects and present their theses in foreign languages, and they will be given a Vietnams police university qualification and a law qualification of some international universities). Helping students have a chance to practice their jobs in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore for a few weeks

+ Opening regularly classes of foreign languages for teachers and staffs of the PPA.

+ The Department of foreign languages continues to apply the communicative language teaching method, and reduces the application of the grammar translation teaching method.

Hopefully, with the policy of multilateral cooperation in crime prevention, and with the guideline that Vietnam wants to become a fiend and reliable partner of all nations in the world, the foreign relations will make the PPA have an equal footing with universities and academies at home and abroad.

Senior Col. DANG VAN CONG