Highlights from October 23-24 at The Notch Conference Centre, Malta
The European Association for Crime Analysts (EACA) proudly reports the successful conclusion of its Annual Conference 2023, held at the Notch Conference Centre in Malta on October 23 and 24. The event, the first conference organized by the association founded in 2022, witnessed insightful presentations and discussions, fostering innovation in crime analysis across Europe. Delegates were warmly greeted with an opening by its President and Vice-President, Friedrich “Sam” Steiner and Andreas Melinato.
This was closely followed by an engaging welcome speech by Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà from the Malta Police Force, setting the tone for the extensive two-day agenda.
The keynote speaker for the conference was Dr Spencer Chainey from University College London. The highly inspirational talk, on hot Spot Analysis for effectively informing hot spots policing, demonstrates the effectiveness of hot spot analysis in delivering tangible results including across South America.
Key topics explored during the conference included:
- Smart Home Technologies in Law Enforcement by Martin Allen from HMRC.
- Digital Multimedia Evidence Challenges presented by Emi Polito of Amped Software.
- Face Recognition’s Future was addressed by Bernhard Egger, the retired Criminal Director of the Bavarian Police.
- Cryptocurrency Investigations 101 by Scott Johnston of Chainalysis.
- An intriguing discussion on The Dark Web by Dr Geetha Rubasundram from the European Forensic Institute.
Furthermore, the conference highlighted European perspectives, such as the Central Intelligence and Analysis Unit within the Malta Police Force presented by Tamara Proschek, Crime Scene Analysis from an Italian viewpoint presented by Domingo Magliocca from ISF Milan and the pressing topic of crime in Sweden’s vulnerable neighbourhoods by Johan Kardell and Nicklas Guldaker of the Swedish National Police and Lund University respectively.
In addition to the content-rich sessions, attendees relished multiple networking opportunities, fostering collaborations and sharing best practices among peers. Attendees and speakers travelled to Malta from across Europe and as far as the US and Malaysia, bringing in a truly international perspective to the conference.
The conference concluded on a high note with closing remarks by Sam Steiner and Andreas Melinato, reflecting on the key takeaways and the promising future of crime analysis in Europe.
We express our gratitude to all participants, sponsors, and speakers, making the EACA Annual Conference 2023 a landmark event in the domain of crime analysis in Europe.
About EACA
The European Association for Crime Analysts (EACA) is a professional association dedicated to advancing the discipline of crime analysis across Europe, promoting best practices, research, and collaboration. With over 600 members across Europe and the world, EACA’s collaborative approach to community engagement and emphasis on skills-building aims to raise the profile of the crime analysis profession. EACA is supported by the European Forensic Institute, organising regular workshops, conferences, and training sessions.
