Interpol: Diplomacy of the International Policing Systems?

Interpol: Diplomacy of the International Policing Systems?

The emergence of transnational criminal actors challenges national law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Global organised criminals are now involved in various crime activities, such as smuggling, theft, drug trafficking, money laundering, and most notably terrorism and cyber crime. These criminals can fuel domestic and international tensions, which undermine states actors and existing policing regimes, and calls for cooperation among various national police organisations.

Brief description of the Interpol:

Interpol – The International Criminal Police Organization - is the world’s largest international police organization, with 188 member countries. Created in 1923, it facilitates cross-border police co-operation and support and assists all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is to prevent and combat international cross-border crimes. Interpol’s aim is to facilitate international police co-operation, even when the diplomatic relations do not exist between particular states. Action is taken in the name of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Interpol’s constitution prohibits “any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character”. The President of Interpol and the Secretary General work closely together in order to provide a strong leadership and direction to the Organization. It compromises of 5 of its Constitution: General Assembly, Executive Committee, General Secretariat, National Central Bureaus, Advisers, The Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files.

The Interpol’s six priority crime areas are: drug and criminal organizations, Financial and high-tech crime, Fugitives, Public safety and terrorism, Trafficking in human beings, Corruption. Interpol regularly releases media postings.

I found a really interesting piece on Bioterrorism. Interpol, with the support of the non-profit Alfred P. Sloan Foundation – an organisation that is non-for-profit institution based in New York City, established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. that support of original research and education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – has developed a Bioterrorism Prevention Programme that aims to: raise awareness of the threat, develop police training programmes, strengthen and develop legislation, provide useful tools for police bio-related investigations. This Programme was launched in 2005 with the First Global Conference on Bioterrorism.

Bioterrorism is extremely dangerous globalised crime nowadays, with the possibility of terrorist attacks, using biological agents, represent an increasing concern for the involved law enforcement bodies, governments and public health officials around the world. The reason why that is the biological agents – such as bacteria, viruses and fungi – are significantly cheaper, and way easier to produce than those of conventional weapons or nuclear armaments. They are extremely difficult to detect and symptoms may not appear for hours or even days. The threat, posed by potential bioterrorists calls for international co-operation on many levels: from implementing appropriate legislation in order to criminalize bioterrorists acts, to creating teams on the local and national level.

Interpol’s response was to team up with the non -profit organisation to prevent bio-crimes. Interpol has published specific instructions and guidelines on Bioterrorism Pre-Planning, and is available to the Organization’s member countries. They have also created a workshop in October 2010 that had gathered experts from 23 countries, for bioterrorism prevention training for use at police systems worldwide has developed.

Bibliography:

www.interpol.int/Public

www.sloan.org

Michael Fooner: Interpol, issues in World Crime and International Criminal Justice, Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York