Securitising transnational crime: the political drivers of police cooperation between Australia and Indonesia

Why are national police forces increasingly seeking to work together to combat crime? Scholars agree that these cooperative efforts are not simply a response to a growth in transnational crime but debate remains about the broader social and political dynamics involved. Through a case study of the policing relationship between Australia and Indonesia, this article argues that the increasing tendency of governments to frame transnational crime as a security issue is a central driver of international police cooperation. To illustrate this ‘securitising’ discourse, the article discusses various ‘wars on crime’ prosecuted by the two countries since the 1970s.