PARIS, France – Cooperation supported by innovation is essential to meet the global policing challenges of today and the future, INTERPOL President Meng Hongwei has told France’s National Strategic Research Forum.
Delivering the keynote address at the event, President Meng – on his first official mission since his election last month – said in the face of increasingly serious global security challenges, INTERPOL plays a unique and irreplaceable role.
“Crime is evolving and manifesting in forms which are more diverse than ever,” said President Meng.
“Terrorist activities are entering a new and very active phase, the threat of cybercrime is far from reaching its pinnacle and globalization has shown that organized crime can generate profits from any location with any object transformed into merchandise as long as there is demand.”
Highlighting the increasingly international nature of telemarketing fraud, financial crime and counterfeit food and medicine, President Meng also highlighted environmental crime as often being underestimated as a real and tangible threat to society.
He pointed to the recent joint INTERPOL and UN Environment report entitled ‘Environment, Peace and Security - A Convergence of Threats’, which focused on the links between global environmental crime, valued at up to USD 258 billion annually, and other criminal activities, including organized crime and terrorism.
“We must continue to assess, adjust and improve our actions in response to the latest crime trends, using innovation to support our vision and expertise as we move forward,” said President Meng.
“The solution to regional or global threats is cooperation at the international level, and INTERPOL will continue to work with governments, international partners, regional organizations and public and private institutions in our efforts towards a safer world,” concluded the President.
On the sidelines of the event organized by the High Council for Strategic Education and Research, President Meng met with France’s Minister of the Interior Bruno Le Roux to discuss international law enforcement collaboration and transnational crime issues.
President Meng thanked the Minister for France’s unfailing support to INTERPOL, both as a member country and as host to the world police body’s General Secretariat headquarters.