Brussels, 19 July 2019/ACP:The special representative of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to the European Union, Mr. Pierre St. Hilaire, visited the ACP Secretary General H.E. Dr. Patrick Gomes and the ACP Committee of Ambassadors on Thursday 18 July 2019 at ACP House, Brussels, to strengthen the cooperation between the two organizations.

Mr. St. Hilaire briefed the ACP representatives on the vision and objectives of his organization. He stressed the need for Interpol to reinforce cooperation with the ACP Group as it is the largest transcontinental grouping of developing countries consisting of 79 Member Countries.

He presented examples of Interpol actions in ACP countries; mainly in the area of capacity building such as in the training of local security services in forensics and body identification, notably during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the recent crash of the Ethiopian Airlines near Addis Ababa.

Explaining that the main role of Interpol is to connect police forces around the world to solve international crimes, he also addressed the popular portrayal and misperceptions of Interpol drawing attention to the fact that Interpol does not interfere with the sovereignty of its 194 member countries.

ACP Ambassadors exchanged views with Mr. St. Hilaire on several security issues threatening ACP countries and commended the initiative as the theme of Security is high on the agenda of the ongoing negotiations for a new partnership between the ACP and the European Union.

INTERPOL is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control. Headquartered in Lyon, France, it was founded in 1923 as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC); the name INTERPOL served as the agency’s telegraphic address in 1946, and was chosen as its common name in 1956.
INTERPOL provides investigative support, expertise, and training to law enforcement worldwide in battling three major areas of transnational crime: terrorism, cybercrime, and organized crime. Its broad mandate covers virtually every kind of crime, including crimes against humanity, child pornography, drug trafficking and production, political corruption, copyright infringement, and white-collar crime. The agency also helps coordinate cooperation among the world’s law enforcement institutions through criminal databases and communications networks.
Photo above: (Mr. Pierre St. Hilaire Special Representative of the International Criminal Police Organization Interpol to the European Union)