One motor car is stolen every ten seconds in the world. Or, in other words, over three million vehicles disappear each year. Law enforcement globally is faced with an ever increasing rise in vehicle-related crimes. The victims range from private citizens to public and private agencies such as the insurance community, the car-manufacturers and the rental companies.

At its headquarters in Lyon, France, INTERPOL has been actively engaged in offering new services to its 179 member countries to facilitate and strengthen the fight against international vehicle crimes. As a first step, INTERPOL developed in 1996 a world-wide database of stolen motor vehicles. Today, 3.8 million records of stolen vehicles are electronically made available to member countries. INTERPOL's strategy is now focused on extending the access to vehicle crime information to all partners, public and private, which are actively engaged in the battle against vehicle crime.

Opening in Lyon, France, on Monday 19 November 2001, the 3-day Transcontinental Organised Vehicle Crime Symposium will address strategies related to the fight against organised vehicle-smuggling, and the extension of INTERPOL's world-wide information systems to customs and vehicle registration authorities. A specialised training course will also be offered to international investigators, including workshops on vehicle identification, INTERPOL investigative tools and new technologies available to facilitate vehicle crime investigations.

The Symposium, organised jointly by INTERPOL and the International Association of Auto-Theft Investigators (IAATI), will gather 240 participants (customs, the insurance industry, automobile manufacturers and vehicle registration authorities) from over 50 countries. It will be opened by INTERPOL's Secretary General Ronald K. Noble and Mr Dave M. Ecklund, President of IAATI.