INTERPOL elects new President and embarks on ambitious course with launch of Global Security Initiative

ST PETERSBURG, Russia – INTERPOL's 77th General Assembly closed today with delegates electing Singapore Police Commissioner KHOO Boon Hui to be the Organization’s new President.

Accepting the four-year Presidency, Commissioner Khoo said he looked forward to serving all of the 187 member countries.

'INTERPOL plays a critical role in international police co-operation by equipping police forces around the world with the necessary infrastructure, training and operational support to combat transnational crime and terrorism,' Mr Khoo said. 'As the Organization's new President I will build on the progress we have made thus far and ensure INTERPOL can better meet the demands of international policing in the 21st century.'

Also elected to the Executive Committee were Mostapha Mouzouni (Morocco) as Vice President for the Africa region, Eduardo Fernandes Cerqueira (Angola) and Magdy Elshafey (Egypt) as delegates for Africa. María del Pilar Hurtado Afanador (Colombia) was elected delegate for the Americas and Petter Dyhre (Norway) and Süleyman Isildar (Turkey) delegates for Europe.

During the four-day conference, delegates also endorsed a series of measures to build national police capacity within a modern framework for action for its collective membership, which grew to 187 after the Vatican City State was admitted to the world’s largest police organization.

In a significant development for modern-day global law enforcement, INTERPOL launched its Global Security Initiative (GSI) when delegates adopted it as the Organization’s platform for 21st century global policing.

In calling on governments and the private sector alike to endow the GSI fund with a billion Euros, Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said 'it will shape dialogue on how best to address regional and global security challenges by breaking down traditional barriers that have prevented meaningful and sustained partnerships between governments, international organizations and the private sector.'

More than 700 senior law enforcement representatives from around the world backed a number of resolutions at the conference, including the creation of an INTERPOL Computer Forensic Analysis Unit. Services provided for member countries by this unit will include training, impartial and independent assistance into computer forensics examination on missions, and the development of international standards for the search, seizure and investigation of electronic evidence.

Another resolution called on member countries to encourage and empower the Organization’s 187 National Central Bureaus (NCBs) to increase their use of public Yellow Notice alerts for missing adults and of Red Notice alerts for fugitives and prison escapees, in order to maximize public assistance for investigations.

Secretary General Noble said the conference had laid the groundwork for the INTERPOL of the future, saying that 'it will create and provide the tools and structures that frontline police worldwide need to carry out their work.'

He said the General Assembly’s forward-looking strategy 'marks a landmark for the Organization and an opportunity for all of us to embrace a vision for a stronger global law enforcement community, and a stronger INTERPOL: a vision that makes full use of partnerships and resources to ensure that law enforcement can fully meet new challenges to ensure the safety of our citizens.'