See also   Caribbean to Screen Passports Using INTERPOL Global Database New York Times article   Border-control network and specialized police training discussed by INTERPOL and Guyana Police during Cricket World Cup security meeting   More INTERPOL resources to the CWC Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre to enhance Cricket World Cup security efforts   INTERPOL helping to secure first major tournament in the Caribbean   Photo gallery

INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble (center) speaks with journalists upon his arrival in Jamaica. With him are (left to right) Nimal Mahagamage, Head of INTERPOL's Liaison Office in Trinidad; Senior Superintendent Derrick Cochrane, Director of the National Intelligence Bureau; and Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence, Charles Scarlett.

Lyon, France – INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble will visit Jamaica, Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad & Tobago, 22-27 February, to discuss the final security arrangements for the Cricket World Cup (CWC).

'INTERPOL has been working with all nine hosting countries, as well as neighboring countries, to support the entire region in preparing a major security program,' said Mr. Noble. An INTERPOL Major Event Support Team (IMEST) has been in the region since early October.'

One of the gravest threats today is that terrorists and other international criminals use falsified stolen or lost passports to conceal their identities. To address this threat, INTERPOL is providing the region with INTERPOL-developed technology (called MIND/FIND) that allows law enforcement officers at airports and seaports to instantly check passports against INTERPOL’s global database of stolen and lost travel documents (SLTD) – a database that contains information on more than 13 million such documents from over 120 countries.

INTERPOL’s MIND/FIND technology is now revolutionizing the way countries conduct border security. First deployed in Switzerland in December 2005, Swiss officers now conduct more than 400,000 database searches each month, detecting more than 100 people in possession of passports that have been reported lost or stolen. Other countries have since been implementing this technology.

INTERPOL has committed to helping all CWC host countries implement MIND/FIND technology so it will be operational before the start of the event. Although implemented in the region very recently, the number of SLTD searches has soared. While the total number of searches in INTERPOL’s SLTD database by the nine CWC host countries during 2006 (without MIND/FIND access at airports and seaports) amounted to a mere 455 searches, these countries have now conducted more than 45,000 searches during the first month of 2007 alone. These searches led to nine positive database hits on passports that were reported stolen or lost, and these numbers are expected to further increase as the CWC event draws closer.

'These measures are part of the security program that will be in place for the CWC, which will severely limit the ability of terrorists and other dangerous criminals to gain access to the area,' said Mr. Noble. 'This has been made possible through the strong commitment of local ministers, commissioners and chiefs of police, INTERPOL National Central Bureaus (NCB), and other members of the law enforcement community throughout the region and the world, in working together to secure this event.'