Slovenia celebrates 20 years of INTERPOL membership

12 September 2012

BOHINJ, Slovenia – Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Slovenia’s membership of INTERPOL, Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said its vision and commitment to international police cooperation satisfy the highest of international standards.

Speaking at the INTERPOL European Committee meeting in Bohinj, the head of the world police body complimented Slovenia’s constant drive for innovation, which has seen the country among the first to integrate INTERPOL’s global databases into its national system, thereby making information shared by police all around the world immediately available to frontline officers in Slovenia.

Mr Noble also recognized Slovenia’s instrumental role in initiating and organizing high-level joint meetings between the European Union Council and INTERPOL during its tenure of the EU Presidency in 2008.

“These high-level meetings have played, and still play, a critical role in strengthening cooperation between INTERPOL and the European Union,” said Secretary General Noble.

“One concrete result was the recognition of INTERPOL as a central player for security in Europe within the EU’s Stockholm Programme, which has enabled INTERPOL and the EU to launch several joint projects in areas including maritime piracy, border security, stolen works of art and environmental crime,” said the INTERPOL Chief.

Slovenia’s Minister of the Interior, Dr Vinko Gorenak, said that with countries facing difficult financial situations, participation and cooperation through the INTERPOL framework should be strengthened.

“INTERPOL can provide countries with significant support to their national law enforcement authorities, and through INTERPOL’s knowledge, equipment and databases, the problems being faced due to reduced budgets can be considerably alleviated,” said Minister Gorenak.

Deputy Director General of Slovenian police Karol Turk said the country would continue to contribute towards regional and global safety and security via INTERPOL.

“For 20 years the Slovenian Police has been actively fighting serious international crime within the framework of INTERPOL and we will continue to share the experience of the Slovenian police in helping to combat crime throughout southeast Europe and beyond,” said Mr Turk. “Slovenia is well aware of the problem posed by global crime and we consider INTERPOL a key partner for cooperation at the international level.”

During the two-day (12-13 September) INTERPOL European Committee meeting, delegates will discuss a range of issues including identifying strategic priorities, objectives and initiatives for the INTERPOL European Region. They will also be updated on the latest developments on INTERPOL’s cooperation  with Europol.