“Connecting The Police for A Safer World”
Being part of the ever-growing and dynamic global community, the Philippine National Police under the leadership of its Chief, Police General Rodolfo S. Azurin, Jr., has continued to participate in various international forums to discuss prevalent issues and concerns in the country and its neighboring regions which are relevant to crime prevention, crime solution, as well as crime deterrent measures in all transnational crimes, such as human trafficking, illegal drugs, terrorism and the like.
On October 18, 2022, the PNP Top Cop, together with other four PNP Officials, attended the 90th General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO-INTERPOL) in New Delhi, India which started on the 18th day of October until October 21, 2022.
INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization with mission and activities that are independent of other international organizations and driven by its Member States. The Organization has administrative capabilities to help member countries work together to fight international crime. It seeks to provide tools and support to every Member States which significantly help the national authorities in battling transborder/transnational crimes.
INTERPOL was officially created in 1923, after being revived in Vienna, Austria by Dr Johannes Schober, President of the Vienna Police. He convened the second International Criminal Police Congress which was attended by 19 countries. The first International Criminal Police Congress took place in Monaco in April 1914. It was attended by 24 participating countries which collaboratively discussed crimes solution, identification techniques, and extradition. But because of the outbreak of the First World War, the said convention was never pushed through in the following years.
At present, INTERPOL holds its General Assembly every year, serving as the supreme governing body of the organization. Each member state appoints a delegate to the General Assembly to discuss all important decisions such as finances, resources, and policies.
The Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC) being the National Central Bureau (NCB) of INTERPOL in the country, represented the Philippine delegation together with other ministers, police chiefs of countries, heads of national central bureaus and senior police officers coming from the 160 INTERPOL-member countries.
Other members of the Philippine delegation are: Undersecretary Alfred Corpus, Executive Director of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC); Third Secretary and Vice Consul Mark Articulo of the Philippine Embassy in India; PMGen Benjamin Acorda, PNP Director for Intelligence; PMGen Eliseo Cruz, PNP Director for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM); and PBGen Bernard M. Banac, Acting Director for Plans.
The agenda of the assembly are the discussions on the future of policing; policing initiatives on financial crime, anti-corruption, cybercrime, crimes against children, and DNA database of missing persons; INTERPOL Global Crime Trends Report; and Executive Committee Elections.
The Philippine delegation presented a country paper in one of the workshop committee meetings highlighting the recent developments in the PNP campaign against illegal drugs, cybercrime, IPR violations, transnational crime, and Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).
“As the world’s largest policing organization, it is the job of INTERPOL to make sure that all countries are supported. Partnership and information sharing helps us to better tackle and prevent crimes,” said INTERPOL President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi.
INTERPOL’s databases are the foundation that support our work. Every country’s contribution is vital,” he added.
The INTERPOL 90th General Assembly successfully concluded, with its participants, going back to their respective countries of origin with renewed commitment and additional insights and ideas that are of great benefit in providing security and protection to their citizens within and outside their countries, living its very motto, “connecting the police for a safer world.”
