INTERPOL Americas meeting reinforces regional commitment to fighting organized crime

NASSAU, The Bahamas - INTERPOL's Americas Regional Conference has ended with a call for enhanced cooperation against the multiple threats posed by organized crime networks and the associated increase in violence.

The meeting concluded with recommendations for strengthened activity to:
• protect vulnerable communities from human trafficking, migrant smuggling and crimes against children
• fight drug trafficking and organized crime
• address the rise in all forms of environmental crime, such as illegal mining, fisheries, forestry and wildlife crime, and
• tackle vehicle crime as it increasingly converges with other criminality including trafficking in all forms, money laundering and corruption.

Senior police officials also underlined the increased use of INTERPOL's Notices system to identify, locate and arrest members of criminal gangs as crucial to disrupting organized crime networks, and identifying potential links with terrorism.

INTERPOL Vice President for the Americas, Valdecy Urquiza, who chaired the conference said:

"Transnational crime networks exploit the gaps between our systems and jurisdictions, and they grow stronger where we are divided. Through our combined efforts, we can close these gaps.

"This conference has provided an opportunity to forge new partnerships, reinforce existing ones, and strengthen the bonds of trust and cooperation that are critical to fighting crime on a regional and global scale."

During the meeting, delegates were also updated on results of cooperation via INTERPOL in combatting financial crime and addressing cyber and cyber-enabled crime, as well as capacity building development programmes in the region.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

"A key takeaway from this meeting is that sharing works. Whether it is expertise or information, sharing brings results.

"This Americas conference has further underlined the region's commitment to regional and international police cooperation and provides a strong platform for even greater successes in the future."

The three-day (11-13 September) conference brought together senior police officials from 35 countries in the Americas and around the world.

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