INTERPOL tools recognised as essential in police co-operation

RIO DE JANEIRO – Delegates at INTERPOL’s 75th General Assembly have approved a series of measures aimed at ensuring police around the world have access to the latest crime-fighting tools to enhance co-operation and effectiveness.

Senior law enforcement officials, including police chiefs from around the world, supported a series of measures at the four-day conference in Rio de Janeiro, including the development of investigations into Internet-related crime and the exchange of information on international criminal networks of human traffickers.

Other key decisions were the approval of the creation of the INTERPOL Anti-Corruption Academy, and recognition of the need to inform other member countries via the INTERPOL General Secretariat whenever there are escapes of suspected or convicted terrorists or other criminals who may pose a danger to police and citizens anywhere in the world.

'It is clear that we are entering a new phase in the development of our organization,' said INTERPOL President Jackie Selebi. 'The tools and technology available to our National Central Bureaus need to be shared with police officers on the frontline so that all law enforcement can benefit from our work and international resources.'

The need to ensure that INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database is populated with regularly updated information to maintain its effectiveness in border control was also recognised as essential by delegates.

'Technology is being increasingly used by criminals to perpetrate all forms of crime and terrorism, and it is essential that we, as the world’s largest police organization, make greater advances to combat this,' said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

'Our services and databases are now available to police at the touch of a button. Officers can instantly check to see if the person they have stopped is a suspected terrorist or a criminal. They can check if a passport has been stolen or establish links with cases anywhere in the world.'

Delegates also welcomed the recent United Nations Security Council resolution endorsing enhanced co-operation with INTERPOL in order to provide UN committees with 'better tools to fulfil their mandates more effectively' and called on Secretary General Noble to continue exploring ways of furthering co-operation between the organizations.

INTERPOL last year created a special notice for individuals who are the targets of UN sanctions against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. More than 250 of these INTERPOL-UN Notices have already been issued to police around the world.

The applications of Montenegro and San Marino to join INTERPOL were approved by the General Assembly, making them the organization’s 185th and 186th member countries.