Hong Kong’s corruption-busters to take the world to school with new academy designed to train fraud fighters using hi-tech virtual reality
- First course this month gets 40 applications from around the world for just 20 places, Independent Commission Against Corruption says
- Danny Woo, the ICAC commissioner, says inaugural academy course will be run with the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption academy will be launched this month with a nine-day wealth investigation course organised alongside the UN as part of an effort to create a global learning platform for law enforcement.
Danny Woo Ying-ming, commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), said the course would be run with the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime and had attracted an overwhelming response.
He said 40 applications were received from various countries for the course, which had just 20 spots available.
In an interview to mark the ICAC’s 50th anniversary and highlight its future work, Woo said he hoped the Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption would become a forum for experts in the field from around the world to share their knowledge and experience.
“With this platform, we will look into [overseas counterparts’] needs and design a course accordingly,” Woo said.
“We also hope they will share how they tackle the problem of corruption they face … we emphasise interactiveness here.”
He said anti-corruption officials from mainland China, Macau, Spain, Panama, Sweden and Iraq were among those expected to go through the first course.
As well as lessons in areas redesigned into classrooms on two floors of the ICAC headquarters in North Point, attendees will get to hone their skills in virtual reality scenarios.
