9 January 2009
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INTERPOL European regional conference opens in Belarus
Mr Noble also underlined the need for INTERPOL’s role as an independent, apolitical police organization to be acknowledged and respected by all national and international bodies. Only 12 out of the 46 countries in the region are taking part in the conference, after the European Union (EU) voiced concerns over recent events in Belarus and applied political pressure which prevented police representatives in EU countries from attending. The conference, which takes place in Belarus as planned, will discuss operational policing issues that particularly affect the European region, including trafficking in human beings, drugs and organized crime, and expansion of access to INTERPOL’s array of databases including those of stolen and lost travel documents, fingerprints, DNA profiles and stolen vehicles. ‘While it is clear that the reduced number of participants will affect the discussions during our conference, the issues we will debate are of concern to all countries and it is important that they are addressed,’ said Mr Noble. ‘As the world’s largest and only global police organization, INTERPOL has long recognised that the lines of communication between law enforcement agencies must remain open if countries are to remain safer from the threat of all forms of crime, including terrorism.’ ‘To let politics influence how police information is exchanged is a dangerous path to follow and will only further increase the risk to people around the world from those who would profit from such decisions,’ he added. The publication of an INTERPOL international wanted persons notice for Osama bin Laden in 1998, which was issued not by any political ally of Europe or the United States, but by Libya, was highlighted by Mr Noble as an example of the unique role of the organization, free from political constraints. The Regional Conference provides an opportunity for law enforcement officers in European member countries to explore ways of furthering cross-border communication and co-operation, Mr Noble and INTERPOL’s President Jackie Selebi told their 184 National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in a letter which underlined the organization’s commitment to police co-operation and political neutrality. A statement issued by the INTERPOL Strategic Advisory Panel emphasised the need for the organization to remain ‘independent, professional, and entirely focused on performing its mission,’ or it would lose its ability to function. The group is chaired by the former Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Force, Lord John Stevens, and also includes Judge Baltazar Garzon del Real of the Spanish National Court. The decision to hold the conference in Minsk was agreed by police representatives at the last European Regional Conference in 2005
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