LYON, France – The world’s regional policing organizations are meeting under INTERPOL’s global umbrella to shape a coordinated approach to security threats worldwide.
With the threats posed by the cross-continental movement of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) and drug trafficking high on the agenda, a major challenge faced by law enforcement is the level of global information exchange on these threats, as well as access to the information at border-crossing points.
Heads and senior representatives from INTERPOL, regional bodies and other major intergovernmental security stakeholders will discuss their respective counter-terrorism, organized crime and border security strategies during the two-day (12 and 13 June) Dialogue meeting to ensure that the systems put in place to exchange information and intercept criminals work well together.
The meeting comes at a time when the fall of Da’esh in Syria means FTFs are now likely to disperse around the globe, to other conflict zones, their countries of origin, or to inspire attacks such as the Sri Lanka bombings as claimed by the terror group.
In this respect, INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock underlined the need for continuous dialogue between INTERPOL and regional policing organizations so that cooperation also keeps pace with constantly evolving global threats in the face of increasing technological and geopolitical uncertainty.
“Around the world we are witnessing foreign terrorist fighter returnees become radicalization agents or active players in attacks,” said Secretary General Stock.
“The global drug market is also reaching record levels, impacting on our communities and generating billions for organized crime groups.
“Through exchanging knowledge, forging partnerships, and most importantly, working together, the Dialogue unites our efforts to address what is becoming an even more complex international security environment,” added the INTERPOL Chief.
The Dialogue process
This week’s Dialogue meeting represents the third edition of this high-level process established out of INTERPOL’s strong belief in the importance of adopting a comprehensive and coordinated global approach to cross-continental security threats.
The Dialogue provides an opportunity for the organizations to discuss their current structures and activities, identify overlaps and devise strategies for mitigating them, and chart the course for future cooperative action.
The membership of the Dialogue process includes AFRIPOL, AMERIPOL, ASEANAPOL, the Arab Interior Ministers Council, the Economic Cooperation Organization, Europol, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency – Frontex, the Gulf Cooperation Council-POL, and INTERPOL.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the UNODC also participate as observer organizations.
The two previous Dialogue editions were held in March 2016 and May 2017, respectively at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore and at INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon.
