Collecting, storing, analysing and disseminating law-enforcement information efficiently is critical for establishing robust intelligence capabilities. To support Customs administrations in this area, three WCO applications have been developed:

• The Customs Enforcement Network (CEN), a web platform that acts as a depository of enforcement-related information which analysts can mine to produce valuable analysis and intelligence. At its core is a database of seizures and offences, as well as pictures. Its value rests squarely on the steady flow of quality data provided by all WCO Members.
• The National CEN (nCEN), an application to be deployed at the national level. It consists of four independent databases.
• The CEN communication platform (CENcomm), a web-based communication system permitting a closed user group of officers to exchange information, in real time, for the duration of an enforcement operation or project. Information reporting can be standardized with the use of templates, which can be customized to only include data fields that are pertinent to a specific operation.

In this section, we have brought together articles on the need to enhance data quantity and quality in the CEN, on the way Customs administrations use the nCEN and upcoming upgrades of the application, and on how Indian Customs has enhanced its Customs Offence Management System.