KIGALI, Rwanda – President of Rwanda Paul Kagame met with INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock following the Organization’s African Regional Conference in Kigali.
With terrorism and organized crime key issues during the conference, President Kagame recognized the importance of cooperation and information sharing between law enforcement at the regional and global levels.
As one of the highest users of INTERPOL’s databases in Eastern Africa, Rwanda continued to lead by example, particularly in combating cybercrime, said Secretary General Stock.
The new Eastern African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization Cyber Crime Centre for Excellence will open in Rwanda later this year.
President Kagame and Mr Stock also discussed the main outcomes of the conference, which brought together some 158 Chiefs of Police and other senior law enforcement officials from 42 countries and seven regional and international organizations.
Among the recommendations endorsed by delegates was extending access to INTERPOL’s secure communications system to border control points and increased use of biometrics during checks.
Maintaining the international data flow on known terrorist affiliates, and intelligence sharing about subjects and modus operandi linked to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Improvised Explosive Device incidents were also endorsed by the African region.
To address the negative impact of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and other illicit goods, the conference also recognized the need to continue the fight against these crime areas to protect health and safeguard economic development.
