Janev and Ivanovski at a Police Conference in Florida: The Press Releases Boasted of "Commitment", the Results Are Still to Be Found

Aleksandar Janev, director of the Public Security Bureau, and Slobodan Ivanovski, director of the Financial Police Office, are in Orlando, Florida, this week for the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, IACP 2026. The invitation came from ICITAP, the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program, which operates within the Criminal Division of the US Department of Justice.

The event really is big: more than 16,000 public safety professionals and representatives from over 90 countries, with topics ranging from organised crime and drug trafficking to financial crime, cyber threats and terrorism.

The statements from both institutions, however, are written in the familiar institutional tone. The Bureau says Janev's attendance is "confirmation of the commitment of the Macedonian police" to partnerships and technological capacity. The Financial Police says its participation matters because of the presentation of new technologies that could make pre-investigation work more efficient.

There is nothing wrong with police chiefs learning from the best. But criminals are not caught at conferences - they are caught by investigations that end in indictments and verdicts. When the directors come back from Florida, will we also find out which of the new tools will actually be bought, for how much money and with what results?