Police Undergo FBI Interview Training

The 30th March 1997's grenade attack was the first and last joint investigation between Cambodian police and the American FBI. The investigation was inconclusive after the FBI agents were threatened and intimidated into withdrawing from Cambodia for personal safety.

By Chun Sakada,

VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Friday, 20 May 2011

Officials said Friday they remain committed to an improved relationship between the Cambodian police and the FBI, following a weeklong training course in interviewing techniques.

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“We will continue to work constructively with Cambodian national police to fight crime in many forms in the Kingdom of Cambodia,” Patrick Gibbons, the FBI’s Cambodia representative, told reporters.

The FBI and Cambodian police have worked cases that include child sex tourism and drug smuggling, he said, and the two sides are working on exchanging more information to prevent crime.

The police and FBI have seen a steady improvement in their relations, following the opening of a legal attaché at the US Embassy in 2008.

About 40 Cambodian police and military police received FBI training in interview techniques this week.

Gibbons said the training would “upgrade” Cambodian law enforcement and that more training would take place in the future.

Sok Phal, deputy national police chief, said the training would help in the prevention of transnational crimes.

So far, cooperation between the two has led to six sex trafficking cases and one drug trafficking case, he said.

“Today and in coming days, the Cambodian national police have a goal to make cooperation with the FBI to suppress all offenses and criminality,” he said. He conceded that the current level of police training “can be regarded as our problem.”