The Europol Podcast

Making Europe Safer

The Europol Podcast

Show Notes

Most episodes of this podcast talk about cases. We’ve spoken about taking down terrorist propaganda, thwarting cybercrime operations, intercepting ton after ton of drug shipments, and all kinds of other high-stakes, global, police operations.

But behind all these cases is weeks and months of analysis, research, and innovation. At Europol HQ, there are entire departments dedicated solely to finding trends and innovations that will make investigations more effective. This is one of Europol’s core services to police in the EU Member States – providing a platform for innovation, technological research, and the sharing of methods and data.

In this episode, we will look at some of the innovations that have been happening at Europol in recent years, and how these have translated into real, operational results.

Speakers: Julia, Head of the Operational Analysis Centre, Europol Danny, Investigator at Europol Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol Links: EU Most Wanted: https://eumostwanted.eu/ Trace an Object: https://www.europol.europa.eu/stopchildabuse Trace an Object Australia: https://www.accce.gov.au/what-we-do/trace-an-object FBI Endangered Child Alert Programme: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap

More from The Europol Podcast

Aug 18, 2026

This bonus episode of the Europol Podcast answers questions raised by our audience during the live expert session examining how CSAM offenders are using and adapting to emerging technologies. Danny van Althuis, Head of Team at the European Cybercrime Centre at Europol, goes into depth on CSAM detection and generation, the different types of offender behaviours, and the importance of law enforcement and cooperation. Speakers: Danny van Althuis, Head of Team, Europol Learn more:

Jul 31, 2026

Fraud schemes represent the fastest-growing area of organised crime. Online fraud schemes (OFS) networks target both individuals and organisations, operating as highly efficient and transnational industries. These networks employ a range of logistical, technical, and financial operations to perpetrate large-scale fraud. With the increasing adoption of generative AI, fraudsters can now personalise social engineering techniques, making them more convincing and dangerous. Online fraud schemes are one of the key threats highlighted in our annual Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA). To find out more, tune in to this episode where Europol experts discuss this growing threat. Speakers: Jorge Rosal Cosano, Head of Team, Europol Learn more: Report: Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) The scam-aware mindset: simple habits to stay protected Social engineering: when trust is exploited

Jul 31, 2026

Ransomware continues to pose a dominant threat across the EU. Criminal actors persist in exploiting vulnerabilities in the digital supply chain and are increasingly employing social engineering techniques. Moreover, they are evolving through the use of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) to adapt their platforms and launch new services. Ransomware is one of the key threats highlighted in our annual Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA). To find out more, tune into this episode on this growing threat, as well as the blurring between hybrid actors and cybercriminals, as told by Europol experts. Speakers: Michaël De Laet, Head of Team, Europol Learn more: Report: Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) Tips & advice to prevent ransomware from infecting your electronic devices

Jul 31, 2026

Offenders involved in child sexual exploitation are swiftly adapting to new technologies, broadening their criminal activities, increasing opportunities for abuse, and making the exchange of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) more efficient and lucrative. The exploitation of AI and E2EE platforms by these offenders, as well as by online extortion communities, presents serious threats to children and society at large. CSAM is one of the key threats highlighted in our annual Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA). To find out more, tune in to this episode on the new technologies and monetisation of CSAM, as told by our Europol experts. Speakers: Danny van Althuis, Head of Team, Europol Learn more: Report: Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) Europol's work on threats against minors Help4U portal

Jul 31, 2026

In the rapidly evolving cybercrime landscape, a wide variety of enablers facilitate illicit activities. These range from resilient dark web marketplaces, the use of cryptocurrencies as payment methods, to multi-layered infrastructures designed to avoid detection. These enablers are becoming increasingly resilient, adaptable, and sophisticated. Cybercrime enablers are one of the key threats highlighted in our annual Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA). To find out more, tune in to this episode on the intricacies of cybercrime enablers, as told by our Europol experts. Speakers: Edvardas Šileris, Head of the European Cybercrime Centre, Europol Marijn Schuurbiers, Head of Unit, Europol Learn more: Report: Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA)

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