Commissioner of Police Paul Farquharson has returned from the 71st General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization-Interpol (ICPO-Interpol) in Cameroon with commitments for officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force to undergo anti-terrorism training abroad.
One of the key items on the conferenceﾴs agenda was understanding current and future terrorism threats, and the need for greater commitment to increase resources and effective use of Interpol services, Mr. Farquharson said Wednesday. He added that the general assembly discussed terrorism around the world, and how it constitutes a threat to small countries, especially countries with tourism-based economies, such as The Bahamas.
ﾓI believe we benefited from being able to seek out training for our officers to deal with terrorism,ﾔ Mr. Farquharson said. ﾔWe have to get our officers up to speed on the threat presented by terrorists and how to deal effectively with their activities.ﾔ
He said he expects officers to begin training in Canada and the United States early in the new year.
Commissioner Farquharson, first vice-president of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), represented the organization at the conference, held in Cameroon ﾴs capital, Yaounde . Its president, Commissioner of Police Francis Forbes of Jamaica , was unable to attend. Mr. Farquharson was accompanied by Commissioner of Police Grantley Watson of Barbados , Commissioner of Police Hilton Guy of Trinidad and Tobago and two Jamaican superintendents.
ICPO-Interpol was set up 79 years ago to enhance and facilitate globally cross-border criminal police co-operation, helping officers from different police forces, countries and cultures and speaking different languages to co-operate with one another and work together to solve crime. Interpol deals only with international crime (those that overlap one or several member-countries) and not with national crime (those planned and committed in just one country).
With 181 member-countries spread over five continents, Interpol is the second largest international organization after the United Nations. During the general assembly, Afghanistan and East Timor were overwhelmingly elected to Interpol.
As the organizationﾴs supreme governing body, the general assembly meets once a year, and takes all the major decisions affecting general policy, the resources needed for international co-operation, working methods, finances and programmes of activities. Delegates approved a proposal to raise overall contributions by 23.4 per cent to 27,707,000 euros. This will be paid by all of Interpol member-countries according to their relative contribution levels.
A total of 455 police chiefs and senior law enforcement officers from 139 countries attended the general assembly, whose main theme was police and global security. Highlights included the setting up of international policing priorities for 2003-05. They did this by examining current and emerging challenges and strategies that need to be put in place to meet them.
Several issues were examined in the plenary sessions and panel discussions.
They included how Internet technology can aid law enforcement, how best to search for fugitives, and collaboration against trans-national organized criminal activity. The art of banknote printing, connecting police globally securely and swiftly, and the importance of making resources available to support regional and national activities were also examined.
The discussions enabled delegates to take decisions with regard to ways of handling corruption, trafficking in human beings and child slave labour.
Methods of detecting false travel documents and stolen vehicles were analyzed. Delegates also committed themselves to public safety by fighting organized crime, illicit drug production and trafficking, weapons-smuggling, money-laundering and financial and high-tech crime.
Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge of Cameroon , in an address at the opening session of the talks, said the battle against organized crime can only be won by consensual efforts as criminals work in networks. ﾔWe should stop working in dispersed ranks,ﾔ he said.
Jesus Espigaras Mira, president of ICPO-Interpol, said crime today is becoming more and more sophisticated as criminals make good use of new information and communications strategies. ﾔPolice,ﾔ he said, ﾓneed specialized knowledge to carry out investigation.ﾔ
One of the topics of reflection at the general assembly was a message from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who said the UN looks forward to ever closer co-operation between Interpol and the UN in the global struggle against terrorism.
Responding to Mr. Annan, Interpol secretary-general Ronald Noble said the new Interpol is now constantly readying itself to respond not only to terrorism, but also to any serious crime threat requiring a swift, co-ordinated and comprehensive worldwide response.
ﾓOver the last year,ﾔ he said, ﾓwe have reshaped Interpolﾴs General Secretariat and approach based on the lessons learned from our anti-terrorism fight. We have put a new structure and policy into action, and have demonstrated in the process again and again that we are not the same Interpol as before September 11, 2001 .ﾔ
Interpol intends to use its additional financial contributions to finance a number of projects, including setting up its worldwide police communications system, I-24/7, as well as a General Secretariat command and co-ordination centre and increasing its support for regional and national police forces.
Commissioner Farquharson said, ﾓItﾴs important to continue networking. The only way to do it is by attending these conferences and keeping your contacts going.ﾔ
By Bahamas Information Services
