Strengthening INTERPOL’s global network to combat the threat of transnational organised crime was the focus of the annual Heads of National Central Bureaus (NCBs) meeting.

Building on the five priority actions outlined in the Vienna Declaration, 321 police officials from 136 countries that attended the conference identified initiatives to expand access to INTERPOL’s global databases to encourage greater operational criminal data sharing.

In addition to panel discussions during the plenary session, delegates also took part in round tables for more focused regional discussions on threats including cyber-enabled financial fraud, online child sexual exploitation and terrorism.

INTERPOL President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi said: “We are 196 members strong, and our power lies in our continued commitment to intelligence sharing and international partnership.

“Providing police with the tools they need to fight crime together is essential. As we look to the future, NCBs are more vital than ever, playing an essential role in the success of the organisation’s most critical operations.”

Secretary General Jürgen Stock highlighted a number of operational highlights from the past 12 months, including Operation Storm Makers II, targeting human trafficking and migrant smuggling linked to cyber scam centres, and Operation Haechi IV against online financial crime which resulted in the seizure of USD 300 million worth of assets across 34 countries.

“Terrorism remains global, mobile, while organised crime continues to expand across continents and across markets,” said Secretary General Stock.

“That is why we must continue to prepare and respond to those criminal threats in a coordinated and targeted manner at the national, regional and global levels through our NCBs.

“Each piece of information, shared or withheld, can mean the difference between an arrest and a tragedy of global proportions.”

NCBs are a country’s focal point for all INTERPOL activities, connecting national law enforcement with other countries, and with the General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, via a secure global police communications network.

In 2023 alone, INTERPOL NCBs exchanged more than 18 million messages and queried the Organisation’s global databases nearly eight billion times – equating to over 250 searches every second.

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