INTERPOL Chief highlights alliance with AFRIPOL in combating regional crime

ALGIERS, Algeria – The common ground between INTERPOL and AFRIPOL offers an opportunity to increase capacity, capabilities and data exchange, said Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

Addressing the third AFRIPOL General Assembly, the INTERPOL Chief also underlined the need for law enforcement to work side-by-side in order to face the evolving criminal trends.

Secretary General Stock highlighted three incidents where INTERPOL deployments had served as a platform for African and specialists from around the world to work alongside each other:

• The terrorist attack at the Riverside Hotel in Kenya in January
• The Ethiopian Airlines crash in March, which killed all passengers and crew members from 35 countries
• The seizure of 1.8 tonnes of cocaine in Guinea Bissau in August.

“Region-specific capabilities are part of our global response as police, and we must continue enhancing these efforts – to strengthen the impact on African law enforcement through our partnership with AFRIPOL,” said the INTERPOL Chief.

INTERPOL Secretary General addressed the third AFRIPOL General Assembly, where he underlined the need for law enforcement to work side-by-side in order to face evolving criminal trends.

Secretary General Stock also highlighted the information sharing agreement between INTERPOL and the African Union signed earlier this year which provides a platform for cooperation with AFRIPOL in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.

In addition to its four Regional Bureaus in Abidjan, Harare, Nairobi and Yaoundé, INTERPOL also has a Special Representative Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa.