SINGAPORE - A new wave of threats has been ushered in by criminals and terrorists taking advantage of advancements in technology, globalisation and rapid urbanisation, Second Minister for Home Affairs S Iswaran said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Interpol World 2015 - a biennial trade event for the security sector - he said there is "an urgent need for enforcement agencies to leverage (on the) latest in technologies and to adopt innovation as a key enabler of policing work".

He added that this would help law enforcement agencies to maintain their "technological competitive advantage" over criminals .

Mr Iswaran, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, said governments and businesses will also have to work closer together.

"It is crucial for stakeholders to forge strong networks of collaboration, to pool and leverage each other's resources, develop deep expertise and create innovative policing solutions."

The three-day event, held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, serves as a business platform for security manufacturers and service providers to offer security solutions to law enforcement agencies, government officials and commercial security professionals.