GLASGOW, United Kingdom – Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, opened the INTERPOL General Assembly, stressing the need for international police cooperation to combat pervasive organized crime.
The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body, made up of representatives from its 196 member countries. With around 1,000 attendees, it is the largest global gathering of senior law enforcement officials, who collectively decide how INTERPOL operates.
This year, the General Assembly will elect the new Secretary General, after Valdecy Urquiza of Brazil was put forward as the chosen candidate of INTERPOL’s executive committee.
The secretary-general is INTERPOL’s chief full-time official and directs the 1,200 staff who work in the organization’s 15 duty stations around the world.
The General Assembly will also elect nine new members to INTERPOL’s 13-member Executive Committee, which oversees the implementation of General Assembly decisions.
UK Prime Minister Starmer, said:
“This is the General Assembly of the world’s security experts. It’s your cooperation across borders that saves lives, time and again. It’s your collective efforts that bring organized criminals to justice, wherever they try to hide.”
In his opening remarks, INTERPOL president Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, said:
“From the rise of organized crime, drug trafficking and terrorism to climate change and migration challenges, our ability to adapt and innovate is crucial. This year’s General Assembly presents an opportunity for member countries to engage in fruitful conversations, share intelligence, and enhance collaborative strategies.”
The Assembly will also consider a number of motions guiding the organization’s activities on terrorism, lawful access to digital evidence and child abuse, among other subjects.
In his statement to delegates, INTERPOL secretary general Jürgen Stock, said:
“INTERPOL was created to serve police by allowing the exchange of information across borders. This mission still drives our work today. We have made INTERPOL’s systems more connected, our products better and our response more coordinated than ever before.”
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also addressed delegates, saying: “International security and domestic security are two sides of the same coin. That is why INTERPOL remains integral to public safety.”
The first day of the General Assembly saw the announcement of the INTERPOL Law Enforcement Academy, an educational centre hosting a range of professional development programmes and events.
Housed within INTERPOL’s Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore, the Academy will notably offer an executive leadership programme for senior police leaders from around the world. INTERPOL member countries will be invited to nominate candidates for the programme’s first cohort.
“Some lessons can only be learned when fellow officers come together face to face. We must equip the next generation of police leaders with the right skills as they face a world that continues to evolve,” secretary-general Stock said.
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