The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has debuted its very own metaverse specifically designed and catered toward global law enforcement in the digital setting.

The INTERPOL Metaverse was recently unveiled in a surprise session during the 90th INTERPOL General Assembly in New Delhi, India — which took place over the past three days.

The INTERPOL Metaverse introduces a digital replica of the France-based INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters to make the space feasible and accessible to officers worldwide – without any geographical constraints.

The highly interactive INTERPOL Metaverse is provided through the INTERPOL Secure Cloud for registered-only users to tour the headquarters, interact with other cops, and partake in immersive training courses such as forensic investigations using VR headsets.

As identified in INTERPOL’s recent announcement, “the metaverse isn’t coming soon. It’s already here.”

Leveraging the many opportunities and benefits of the digital landscape, INTERPOL has harnessed the metaverse to keep pace with the fast-moving criminal world – especially crime stemming out of the metaverse.

“The Metaverse has the potential to transform every aspect of our daily lives with enormous implications for law enforcement. But in order for police to understand the Metaverse, we need to experience it,” said Mr Oberoi, INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Technology and Innovation.

In 2020, the organization launched the INTERPOL Virtual Academy to instruct and support many future police officers in training during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 16,000 officers received training through the Virtual Academy in 2020 alone.

Recognizing and responding to the rising technologies and possibilities inside the metaverse, INTERPOL has utilized its power to both train and develop an awareness of the potential crime in the virtual environment.

“For many, the Metaverse seems to herald an abstract future, but the issues it raises are those that have always motivated INTERPOL – supporting our member countries to fight crime and making the world, virtual or not, safer for those who inhabit it,” shared Jürgen Stock, INTERPOL Secretary General.

“We may be entering a new world, but our commitment remains the same,” added Stock.

While the masses continue to question the metaverse with fears and skepticism, INTERPOL is proving to accept and develop the space with protection and enforcement of the law.

Manipulating The Metaverse

 There are currently over 400 million monthly metaverse users today, and that number is projected to only continue to rise. Additionally, three in every four American adults are joining or considering joining the metaverse.

With the countless metaverse-based fashion pop-ups, musical festivals, toy collecting, and AAA gaming emerging almost every day, the metaverse has gained popularity and practicality for life-protecting industries like healthcare or in this case, legal authorities.

With the steady rise of metaverse participation, criminals have exploited the digital space and crime has quickly found an online home.

According to the INTERPOL Global Crime Trend report, financial and cybercrimes topped global police concerns.

As part of the INTERPOL metaverse, INTERPOL launched an Expert Group on the metaverse which will address web-born concerns and ensure the metaverse is “secure by design.”

Here Come The MetaPolice

The INTERPOL Metaverse Expert Group will work to safeguard users and protect the metaverse from crimes like data theft, money laundering, phishing, ransomware, or even sexual assault and harassment.

The World Economic Forum recently partnered with INTERPOL, Meta, Microsoft, and others to set a foundational structure for governing the metaverse.

INTERPOL’s Expert Group is dedicated to endorsing a new governance framework for interoperable, safe, and inclusive metaverse ecosystems.

“By identifying these risks from the outset, we can work with stakeholders to shape the necessary governance frameworks and cut off future criminal markets before they are fully formed,” said Madan Oberoi, Interpol’s Executive Director of Technology and Innovation.

INTERPOL hopes to familiarize its authorities with its new metaverse while preventing digital crime from stealing its benefits.

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