CHISINAU, Moldova – Secretary General Ronald K. Noble has underlined Moldova’s commitment to INTERPOL and the wider law enforcement community as the country marked the 20th anniversary of its membership of the world police body.
At a meeting with Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca, the INTERPOL Chief said the country was at ‘the forefront’ of international law enforcement cooperation. Mr Noble also met with Minister of Internal Affairs Dorin Recean, Head of General Police Inspectorate Pol. Col. Ion Bodrug, and Head of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Chisinau, Fredolin Lecari.
"We are proud to mark 20 years of our membership of INTERPOL, and of the contribution made by Moldova to international police cooperation during these years," said Prime Minister Leanca.
"We will continue to play our role in working with law enforcement worldwide to protect citizens at home and abroad and to help make the world a safer place," added Moldova’s Prime Minister.
At a special anniversary event at the NCB, Secretary General Noble commended Moldova’s authorities and NCB Chisinau for actively engaging with the international police community.
Mr Noble recalled how in July, as part of Operation Black Poseidon against the trafficking of illicit goods, NCB Chisinau joined its counterparts in Belarus, Georgia, Turkey, and Ukraine to arrest 1,400 suspected criminals and seize 7.3 million illicit goods.
“This operation is only the most recent demonstration of your willingness to engage with the rest of the international community, through INTERPOL, to ensure not only your security, but the security of your neighbours and citizens throughout the globe,” Secretary General Noble told Moldova’s authorities.
The INTERPOL Chief further underlined Moldova’s role in Project Millennium, a regional forum which has seen the country share experiences and intelligence on Eurasian crime groups.
With stolen cars funding other criminal activities, Moldova is also among the top ten countries to use INTERPOL’s Stolen Motor Vehicles database.
But Secretary General Noble said that there is still much more work to be done by INTERPOL and Moldova against the threats of an evolving world.
“As we have in the last 20 years, we therefore look forward to working hand-in-hand with Moldova over the next 20, to find new ways to tackle the threats of tomorrow,” concluded the INTERPOL Chief.
Moldova is among the INTERPOL countries which rely on the world police body’s Stolen and Lost Travel Document (SLTD) database to check against 43 million records – with over half a million provided by Moldova – that travelers entering and leaving the country are using valid travel documentation.
To this end, INTERPOL has developed I-Checkit, a tool allowing airline companies to screen INTERPOL’s SLTD database to check the validity of identity documents provided by potential travelers.
As part of such efforts to make the world a safer place, INTERPOL’s Turn Back Crime awareness and prevention campaign was also presented during the anniversary event.
Turn Back Crime’s objective is to help citizens worldwide understand crime in all its forms and the role they can play in protecting themselves against crime in their daily lives.