South American police chiefs commit to increased use of INTERPOL

Santiago, Chile – South American police chiefs have committed to increased use of INTERPOL to address the growing threat to national security posed by transnational crime and related violence.

The two-day meeting of the region’s police leaders concluded with a statement calling for increased cooperation and action in a number of areas, including:

– The need to curb the financial flows and illicit profits of organised crime

– Joint strategies with national authorities responsible for prisons and detention centres

– Stronger cooperation with customs and immigration authorities to combat crimes such as drug and arms trafficking

– Increased use of INTERPOL databases and tools, in particular the Notices system.

INTERPOL’s Regional Office (RB) for South America, based in Buenos Aires, was also recognised for its valuable support in coordinating the operational response to priority crimes such as child sexual abuse, corruption, cybercrime, trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling, money laundering and terrorism.

In this context, the police chiefs also committed to providing strategic information to the Regional Office to enable it to produce analytical reports on crime trends across the region and to identify potential and suspected transcontinental links.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

“Cross-border organised crime is growing and developing at an increasingly unchecked pace.

“The result is that law enforcement agencies must now grapple with a multi-crime world where international threats have implications at national and local levels.

“By bringing police leaders together and listening to the challenges they face, we can work together to find the most effective way to strengthen the global security architecture.

“That is exactly what this meeting of South American police chiefs has achieved.”

Police chiefs and directors from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela attended the high-level event, which is held every two years to review the evolution of the regional crime situation and the response of law enforcement agencies.