The Europol Innovation Lab was created to support law enforcement innovators across Europe. The Lab helps the law enforcement community to understand the challenges and opportunities of new technologies, connects the dots between research and innovation projects around Europe, and provides the platform for law enforcement agencies to co-create innovative tools that can make the difference in criminal investigations. This keynote will tell the story of how innovation became a strategic priority for Europol, and how the law enforcement community is innovating to fight crime more effectively.

Bio: Ben Waites is the senior specialist in charge of policy and stakeholder engagement at the Europol Innovation Lab in The Hague. He has spent his whole career with INTERPOL and EUROPOL, helping to develop international and European law enforcement cooperation.