INTERPOL National Central Bureau heads underline commitment to strengthening cross border support

See also   Opening speech by Ronald K. Noble, INTERPOL Secretary General (02/04/2008)   Reinforcing INTERPOL National Central Bureaus key to 21st century policing (02/04/2008)   Listen to an extract of the Secretary General's speech (02/04/2008)

Heads of NCBs from the African region met to discuss the OASIS Project.

Some 220 delegates attended the conference and committed to increase operational capacity

LYON, France – The fourth INTERPOL Heads of National Central Bureaus conference ended today with a renewed commitment to increasing operational capacity, especially in the framework of the newly created Operational Assistance, Services and Infrastructure Support (OASIS) project in Africa.

The four-year project, funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is focussed on providing support to African law enforcement in three key areas:

• Capacity building – training and development to ensure officers have the skills to more effectively investigate and combat crime
• Infrastructure – extended and immediate access to I-24/7, INTERPOL’s global secure police communications network and databases
• Operations – investigative tools and support for international police operations targeting high-priority crime areas

“While the OASIS Project is centred on developments in the African region, this cannot be done without the support and co-operation of each of our National Central Bureaus around the world,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

“The themes of this conference have been capacity building and development, and it is clear that only through sharing of expertise and best practice amongst police around the world can we hope to achieve an integrated and effective global security network.”

Key conclusions from the three-day meeting in Lyon, France in support of building operational capacity, included increasing the provision of data in INTERPOL’s global databases (Stolen and Lost Travel Documents, Fingerprints, DNA), and working towards greater national access at strategic locations to these databases.

Each INTERPOL member country maintains an NCB staffed by national law enforcement officers. The NCBs, whose main activities are facilitating police and law enforcement co-operation and collaborating on international investigations, are the primary points of contact between the General Secretariat and all law enforcement bodies in member countries.