BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Brunei on Tuesday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Police (ASEANAPOL) to be unified as one law enforcement body for the region.

According to Radio Television Brunei (RTB), the sultanate's national broadcaster, Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah said in his opening speech at the 38th ASEAN Police Chiefs Conference that coherence should be embedded within the values of each member country to ensure ASEANAPOL act as one, with one voice, for the safety and security of the Southeast Asian region.

The Sultan, who is also the Inspector General of the Royal Brunei Police Force said that ASEANAPOL plays a vital role for all ASEAN national police forces and it needs to strengthen close collaboration in order to overcome various challenges within the region.

The conference brings together regional police teams and international law enforcement agencies to discuss security issues and transnational law enforcement.

Organized by the Royal Brunei Police Force, the conference was attended by participants from 10 ASEAN member countries and the ASEANAPOL Secretariat.

The conference was also attended by dialogue partners comprising ASEAN Secretariat, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Turkey and International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), among others.