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According to the United Nations Secretary-Generals’ 2015 report on the state of crime and criminal justice world, people living in low-income countries suffer the biggest threat to their security and well-being.

The report gives an overview of the major global and regional trends for different types of crimes and includes an analysis on intentional homicide, gender-based killings of women and girls, bribery, human trafficking and wildlife crime.

It also provides further compelling evidence that crime and criminals have a strong link to development.

At the upcoming 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which will be hosted by the Government of Doha, Qatar, from April 12-19, 2015, four workshops will be held on crime-related topics.

The workshops will focus on the role of the UN standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice; trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants; strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice responses to evolving forms of crime such as cybercrime and trafficking in cultural property as well as public contribution to crime prevention and raising awareness of criminal justice.

 Since 1955, the UN Crime Prevention Congresses have been held every five years in different parts of the world, dealing with a vast array on topic which have made a considerable impact on the field of international crime prevention and criminal justice and influenced national policies and professional practices.

The UN Crime Congress brings together governments, policymakers and experts to share their experiences and intensify international co-operation in tackling the threat of transnational crime.

And as part of activities towards the congress, a media briefing highlighting the significance of the congress and the relationship between crime and development has been convened by the United Nation Information Centre (UNIC) in Accra.

It was carried out live via WebEX by the Executive Secretary of the Crime Congress, Dimitri Vlassis, to a group of journalist in four different countries, including Ghana.

The theme for the 13th Congress is ‘Integrating crime prevention and criminal justice, United Nations agenda to address social and economic challenges to promote the rule of law at the national and international levels, and public participation.’

Chief Superintendent in charge of crime at the Criminal Investigation Department, Mr Denis Abade at the briefing said people must ignore all sorts of messages trending on social media.

He said such congresses present the police a perfect opportunity to learn from their foreign counterparts how they tackle cybercrimes.