News and Media Releases   Secretary General calls for creation of Middle East Interpol Sub-Regional Bureau (21/03/2007)        Outcome Statement (21/03/2007)        Interpol regional bioterrorism prevention workshop opens in Oman (19/03/2007)      Speeches   Closing remarks by Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble (21/03/2007)        Speech by Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble (19/03/2007)      See also   Initial notification         Photo gallery

The three-day meeting is aimed at educating senior law enforcement officials in areas relating to bioterrorism prevention and response, with input from international scientific and legal experts.

Opening the workshop, Inspector General of Police and Customs of the Sultanate of Oman, Lieutenant General Malik Sulaiman Al-Ma’amari said preparation was key.

'Biological terrorism poses a serious challenge before the law enforcement agencies, because it is an indiscriminate aggression. This workshop is held in Oman at a time in which there is an exigent need for such workshops to help in the protection against terrorism in general and bioterrorism in particular.'

Participants from 15 countries will take part in a simulation of a major bioterrorism event to underline the importance of inter-agency co-operation on regional, national and international levels.

'I have no doubt that the threat of bioterrorism is real and that we need to do more to prepare countries,' said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

'This is why INTERPOL has organized workshops around the world, bringing together international experts in law enforcement, health, science and academia to ensure that police worldwide can benefit from their expertise and further develop their own.'

'However, it is only when governments implement the appropriate laws and provide the necessary funding for law enforcement that a country can say they are taking the necessary steps to protect their citizens and that significant advances in preparedness will be made.'

As part of INTERPOL’s ongoing support to member countries, the INTERPOL Bioterrorism Incident Pre-planning and Response Guide is now available in all four of the organization’s official languages, Arabic, English, French and Spanish. Compiled by experts from INTERPOL member countries, the guide is a comprehensive, step-by-step manual for law enforcement in preparing for, and dealing with, a bio incident.

A Bioterrorism Prevention Resource Centre, which provides training materials, scientific documents, planning and crisis management guidelines, and other vital information has also been created and can be accessed via INTERPOL’s website, www.INTERPOL.int.

Four previous workshops have been held in South Africa, Singapore, Chile and Ukraine following the launch of INTERPOL’s Bioterrorism Prevention Programme in 2004 with a grant from the Sloan Foundation, which has committed a total of 2.5 million dollars.