Credit: Interpol.int / The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)

By Gary Raynaldo        DIPLOMATIC TIMES

INTERPOL’s operational working relationship with Afripol, the African Union (AU) Mechanism for Police Cooperation, was launched in an on-line ceremony at the International Criminal Police’s headquarters in Lyon, France Tuesday.  The ceremony follows an agreement signed between INTERPOL and the AU in January 2019 to work together in tackling serious global crime. The two organizations will now implement their joint action plan to position Afripol as a strategic Pan-African policing partner and strengthen Africa’s fight against terrorism, organized and emerging crime and cybercrime, according to Interpol. During the kick-off event, senior law enforcement leaders from both organizations underlined the importance of INTERPOL’s global network and policing capabilities in shaping a coordinated response in African law enforcement operations.

“With region-specific capabilities an essential part of INTERPOL’s global police response, this new working relationship is the natural continuation of our long-standing work with African law enforcement, and we look forward to tackling Pan-African crime holistically, effectively, and together,”

– INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

Law Enforcement Cooperation Vital to Global Security: AFRIPOL

Credit: Interpol.int /  January 2019: INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock and African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui sign the agreement providing a cooperation platform to tackle terrorism and organized crime.

Law enforcement cooperation is vital to global security,” said Dr Tarek Sharif, Executive Director of Afripol, emphasizing that criminals are highly organized and collaborative, resulting in serious transnational organized crime. He said he is  optimistic that the joint programme will enable concrete cooperation in addressing crime on the African Continent.

Credit: afripol.africa-union / AFRIPOL was established under the aegis of the African Union as an independent mechanism for police cooperation for Member States of the African Union. Its main objective is to establish a framework for police cooperation at the strategic, operational and tactical levels between Member States police institutions.

Afripol will now have access to INTERPOL’s wide range of global criminal databases and secure police communications network called I-24/7, enabling it to work directly with law enforcement in each of INTERPOL’s 194 member countries.  INTERPOL opened its Special Representative Office to the AU four years ago to build on the strength of its four African Regional Bureaus – Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and Zimbabwe – and National Central Bureaus across Africa.  Its AU office works to support the voice of law enforcement at the African Union as part of the efforts to strengthen security in Africa.