U.S. child sex abuser focus of INTERPOL global appeal jailed for nearly 20 years

NEWARK, New Jersey, Suara Indonesia News - A U.S. citizen arrested following a global public appeal by INTERPOL to identify a suspected paedophile featured in a series of abusive images involving young boys has been jailed for nearly 20 years.

Wayne Nelson Corliss, aged 60, was also sentenced to a lifetime supervised release following his prison term, in addition to being required to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty to five charges including the production and possession of images depicting child sexual abuse and travelling to foreign countries to engage in illegal sexual activities.

Corliss was taken into custody by US Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) agents at his apartment in Union City, New Jersey in the early hours of 8 May 2008, just 48 hours after INTERPOL launched its public plea to identify the previously unknown man.

Close and swift co-operation and co-ordination between the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Washington DC, ICE, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) made Corliss’s identification, location and arrest possible, after tips were received from members of the public. The case was launched following strong investigative work by Norway’s police and prosecutors.

Welcoming the court’s decision, INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said the sentence and the law enforcement co-operation which led to the arrest should serve as a deterrent to all paedophiles anywhere in the world.

“What is also clear from our appeal is that members of the public are ready and willing to help police identify and arrest child sexual predators who would otherwise continue to use the Internet to maintain their anonymity and to travel to prey on young victims,” said Mr Noble.

“The days when child sex predators could travel internationally to violate innocent children without fear of being identified, prosecuted and convicted are over.

“I would like to praise all of the law enforcement agencies involved in the arrest, prosecution and sentencing of Corliss, in what is clearly a very significant example of the benefits of international co-operation.

In his guilty plea at the New Jersey court on 28 October 2008, Corliss admitted he travelled to Thailand each year from 2000 to 2002 and in each instance he travelled with the intent to sexually abuse children; paid for unfettered access to children; brought items to facilitate their sexual abuse and actually sexually abused children.

Corliss also admitted to sexually abusing children in 2002 in Thailand for the purpose of photographing and videotaping the activity and to storing and possessing child sexual abuse images on his home computers at the time of his arrest in 2008.

Earlier this month, two other Americans, Burgess Lee Burgess, aged 45 and Mitchell Kent Jackson, aged 32 were each jailed for six years and five months after they admitted to visiting Thailand between 2000 and 2002 to pay to have sex with young boys. Both had also admitted in their pleas that in preparation for their travel to Thailand, they had corresponded with Wayne Nelson Corliss.

Singapore’s ‘most wanted terrorist’ arrest by Malaysia highlights value of international co-operation

Vietnam, Interpol, Suara Indonesia News – The arrest of a suspected terrorist leader in Malaysia following his escape from custody in Singapore has again underlined the need for police to share information on wanted international fugitives via INTERPOL, President KHOO Boon Hui told the 29th Asean Chiefs of Police (Aseanapol) conference in Hanoi today.

Immediately after Mas Selamat bin Kastari - an alleged leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group - fled from the Whitley Road detention centre in February 2008, INTERPOL issued a global alert, which was then supported by a request from Singapore for the issue of a Red Notice, or international wanted persons alert, which requests the arrest of an individual with a view to their extradition.

Addressing the conference, INTERPOL President and Singapore Police Force Commissioner KHOO said the Red Notice enabled them to draw on the strength of a global network of police to obtain leads to help track down Mas Selamat, as there was the possibility of him surfacing anywhere in the world.

“Even as we searched for him in Singapore and sought the assistance of our counterparts in Malaysia and Indonesia where we assessed he was most likely to have escaped to, we were committed to sharing vital police information about him with our counterparts all over the world,” said President Khoo.“The issue of a Red Notices enabled us to draw on the strength of a global police network to obtain leads, it allowed our colleagues around the world to better protect their citizens and it also limited Mas Selamat’s ability to move about the world as Red Notices act as global tripwires. I was therefore personally not surprised that he was caught so near to Singapore as he must have found it very difficult to relocate himself further.

“I have spoken to my counterpart, the Inspector General of the Royal Malaysian Police to thank him personally for the sterling efforts of his officers in arresting this dangerous terrorist,” added President Khoo.

Mas Selamat was arrested in Malaysia on 1 April and is currently awaiting extradition to Singapore.

An agreement signed between INTERPOL and Aseanapol in 2007 enables information stored in the electronic Aseanapol Database System (e-ADS) to be accessible to law enforcement worldwide via INTERPOL’s secure global police communications system, I-24/7.

The declaration also means that any searches made of the e-ADS database are automatically run against INTERPOL’s nominal and Stolen Motor Vehicles (SMV) databases as well as INTERPOL’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database which currently contains over 18 million documents from more than 140 countries.

Workshop on Investigating and Prosecuting Kleptocracy

78th INTERPOL General Assembly

78th INTERPOL General Assembly
Speech by Khoo Boon Hui, President of INTERPOL at the Closing Ceremony of the 78th INTERPOL General Assembly
15 October 2009, Singapore

Minister of Law and Second Minister of Home Affairs Mr. K Shanmugam;
Secretary General Mr. Ronald Noble;
Distinguished Delegates;
Ladies and Gentlemen;


We have come to the close of yet another General Assembly and we have worked diligently to confront many challenging issues. You have all contributed to the substantial discussions with your succinct comments. I must commend the moderators and presenters for doing such a great job; this had made my work as Chairman that much easier and allowed us to end our discussions ahead of schedule. Even then, I knew that you continued discussions during the coffee breaks, receptions and dinners. Thank you for your strong commitment to the cause of local, regional and global security.

Let me now sum up the General Assembly by sharing three observations. I am heartened, because these indicate that INTERPOL is moving in the right direction.

Firstly, we have seen our global network strengthened and INTERPOL’s influence growing. Our family has expanded. We have added our 188th member, Samoa. Last night, I learnt of another country’s interest in joining our fast growing family. INTERPOL has also linked arms with our natural partner, the UN, allowing us to tap on more resources. Having so many political leaders present earlier this week has also enhanced our profile. Some day in the future, we will realise just how significant our first Ministerial Meeting has been.

Secondly, INTERPOL has been steadily moving upstream in the fight against organised crime, criminal activity and terrorism. As countries have become more integrated, so has criminal and terrorist activity. Increasingly, there is greater recognition of the nexus between unstable states, crime and terrorism. It will no longer be sufficient to deal with each of these in silos. Our commitment to play a larger role in anti-corruption and peacekeeping, will therefore allow INTERPOL to be more effective. Our drive to build policing capacity also reflects our proactive approach. Thirdly, we have taken active steps to enhance transparency and information security. Good governance and prudent budgeting are critical for INTERPOL, given our global reach and influence. We must always invest our resources strategically and strive to do more with less. In today’s digital age, data integrity and confidentiality are increasingly important. Taken together, the tightening of internal controls is a positive development for it raises the credibility of INTERPOL.

In conclusion, your ideas and contributions have made this well-attended Assembly one of the best ever, but the best is yet to be. Our plans must come to fruition. These should not remain etched on paper and we must bring them to life with action. As leaders, you must align your organisation to these resolutions and inspire new initiatives. Only then will we meet tomorrow’s challenges with confidence.

As host, I am heartened to have received so many comments that this has been a well-organised General Assembly. I hope that problems that you may have encountered have been resolved quickly. As your President, I am privileged to thank, on your behalf, the Secretary- General and his able staff, interpreters and support staff who have been working diligently behind the scenes, as well as the officers of the Singapore Police Force and our band for their contributions. And I thank all of you for showing the world your support for INTERPOL.

I look forward to an even better General Assembly and learning about your exciting progress in Qatar next year. Thank you and Bon Voyage.

INTERPOL issues its first ever passports

SINGAPORE, Suara Indonesia News – INTERPOL today issued its first ever passports which will enable Heads of National Central Bureaus (NCBs) and staff to travel internationally without requiring a visa when assisting in transnational investigations or urgent deployments to incidents.

Two countries, Pakistan and Ukraine, have already agreed to waive visa entry requirements for INTERPOL passport bearers, recognizing that those individuals will be travelling on behalf of the organization in the furtherance of international police co-operation.

Without the delay of visa processing procedures, any INTERPOL team can be immediately deployed to scenes of terrorist events, major crimes or natural disasters and officials from NCBs can easily cross borders to assist in fugitive extraditions.

The first member of the Executive Committee to receive the new passport, INTERPOL President Khoo Boon Hui, said that the document would significantly support the organization’s work.

“As the world’s largest police organization, INTERPOL needs to remain at the forefront of all activity which enhances member country security and safety,” said President Khoo.

“The INTERPOL passport contains state-of-the-art features that will not only facilitate the carrying out of important INTERPOL business worldwide, but will also serve as an example for the standards which should be implemented worldwide for travel document security.”

Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said that as more countries waived their visa requirements for INTERPOL passport holders, the more effective the organization’s support would become and he urged all member countries to seek the necessary governmental recognition and approval.

“When member countries ask INTERPOL for assistance to prevent, investigate, or respond to any terrorist act, serious crime or natural disaster, the safety and security of their citizens may depend on INTERPOL being in place as fast as possible,” said Secretary General Noble.“That a person is travelling with an INTERPOL passport for official business should be all the information a country needs in order to grant them access. By agreeing to waive visas for INTERPOL passport holders, member countries will ultimately be assisting themselves,” added Mr Noble.

The presentation of the INTERPOL passport, which has been designed and developed by the EDAPS Consortium, comes during the organization’s General Assembly in Singapore attended by more than 800 senior law enforcement officials from 153 countries.

Key issues to be discussed during the five-day meeting are the provision of enhanced operational support, particularly in relation to the expansion and increased use of INTERPOL’s DNA and fingerprint databases by frontline officers in member countries to help solve crimes and identify fugitives through data comparison; encouraging member countries to use tools to block access to online child abuse images; and establishing an information exchange platform for national anti-corruption bodies and the creation of a strategic anti-corruption information database.

The global reach of the world’s largest police organization was further extended following the acceptance of Samoa as INTERPOL’s newest member country, bringing the total number to 188 countries.

New members elected to INTERPOL Executive Committee

SINGAPORE, Suara Indonesia News – Delegates at the 78th INTERPOL General Assembly have elected seven new members to the Executive Committee.

The head of the Argentine Federal Police, General Commissioner Nestor Jorge Vallecca, is the new Vice President for the Americas, with William Elliott, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Jorge Barbosa Pontes of the Brazilian Federal Police elected as delegates for the Americas.

Deputy Commissioner of Nigerian Police Adamu Mohammed has been elected as delegate for Africa and Spain’s Comisario Francisco Gil Montero as delegate for Europe.Two delegates for Asia were also elected, Tariq Khosa, Director General of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency and Nobuyuki Kawai, Director of the International Organized Crime Office of Japan’s National Police Agency.

The Executive Committee, which meets three times a year, has 13 members in total, comprising the President, three vice-presidents and nine delegates representing the organization’s four regions – Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe.

Training and operational workshops provide impetus to the fight against counterfeit goods in Southern and Eastern Africa

NAIROBI, Suara Indonesia News - – Nearly 150 police, customs and drug regulatory body representatives from 26 Eastern and Southern African countries are taking part in Intellectual Property (IP) Crime Training and Operational Workshops, co-hosted by INTERPOL and the Kenya police.

The six-day training course and workshops, running from 20 to 25 November, aim to equip senior and middle police managers with the knowledge, skills and expertise to lead proactive regional operations, targeting transnational organized criminals who systematically manufacture and distribute counterfeit and pirated goods throughout the region.

Especially of concern are counterfeit products that affect the health and safety of the public who are often unaware of the risks. These include medical and skincare products, which pose a threat to consumers' health and wellbeing and sub-standard electrical goods, which can lead to fires and injury. The training course and workshops are organized within the framework of INTERPOL's Operational Assistance, Services and Infrastructure Support (OASIS) programme, funded by the German Federal Government.

OASIS Director, Giuliano Zaccardelli, underlined the importance of enhancing the capacity of countries in Africa to address crime threats nationally, regionally and globally: "IP crimes, especially those which have a direct impact on the wellbeing of millions of people, are transnational crimes that need a co-ordinated and focused response.”

Kenya and other member countries of the East Africa Community (EAC) are at the forefront of collective regional efforts to combat transnational organized counterfeiting and piracy.

"The grave dangers posed to health and safety in terms of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and medical products, auto and airplane parts, or electronics that go into our nation's critical infrastructure, can present a real and direct danger to the public,” said Major General Mohammed Hussein ALI, Commissioner of the Kenya Police.

“This workshop is instrumental in equipping our officers with the knowledge to tackle what is increasingly becoming big business for organized crime."

A successful model for future interventions is Operation Mamba which targeted counterfeit pharmaceutical products and took place between 29 September and 5 October 2008 in Tanzania and Uganda. Simultaneous raids by police, customs and revenue authorities led to the examination of 226 pharmacies, warehouse and market stalls, and resulted in the seizure of over 100 types of fake and illicit medical products.

“Operation Mamba illustrated that there is a collective desire to tackle the scourge of counterfeit medicines and the devastating effect they have on sufferers of otherwise curable diseases such as malaria,” said INTERPOL Secretary General, Ronald K. Noble. “The skills and knowledge assimilated by police leaders in these workshops will enable them to work with colleagues in other African countries and INTERPOL to dismantle transnational counterfeiting and piracy conspiracies.”

In addition to training, a vital area in the development of anti-counterfeiting activities is inter-agency and public/private sector co-operation, with the World Customs Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the US Chamber of Commerce key participants in co-ordinating international activities.

Colombian fugitive arrested and deported from Panama within 24 hours of issue of INTERPOL alert

Interpol, Suara Indonesia News - A Colombian man accused of defrauding thousands of investors through pyramid schemes was located, arrested and deported from Panama in less than 24 hours following intensive co-operation between national police and support from INTERPOL.

The INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Bogota requested the issue of a Blue Notice for David Murcia Guzmán, president of the DMG Group, on Wednesday, 19 November and he was taken into custody by Panamanian police later the same day. A Blue Notice helps countries locate an individual and collect additional information about their identity or activities in relation to a crime and provides a basis for police to work together in tracking down a criminal in another country.

Officers in the Command and Co-ordination Centre at INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France assisted the NCBs in Bogota and Panama City to co-ordinate the swift police action required to locate and apprehend 28-year-old Murcia Guzmán. “The speed and efficiency with which Colombia and Panama were able to carry out this arrest is a credit to the law enforcement officers and agencies in both countries and clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of inter-agency and cross-border co-operation,” said INTERPOL’s Executive Director for Police Services, Jean-Michel Louboutin.

“The arrest also demonstrates the range of tools that INTERPOL’s member countries can call upon and use when tracking fugitives, with our 24-hour Command and Co-ordination Centre also on standby to assist when needed.”

Colombian police are also investigating the possibility that the DMG Group may have served as a front for laundering drug money.

Murcia Guzmán is the founder of the DMG Group, which had an estimated 400,000 clients and branches across South America. In addition to Murcia Guzmán, two managing directors of the company have also been arrested by Colombian police, with four more still wanted.

Monaco arrest of suspected ‘Pink Panther’ gang members praised by INTERPOL

LYON, France, Suara Indonesia News – Two men suspected of being members of a gang believed responsible for a series of worldwide jewellery robberies worth over 100 million EUR have been arrested in Monaco after a police officer identified them from a photo circulated by INTERPOL.

The men, a 27-year-old Serbian national and 30-year-old Dusko Poznan from Bosnia and Herzegovina who is the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice, or international wanted persons’ notice, were detained by police on Wednesday 15 October. Both are thought to be part of a transnational crime group dubbed the ‘Pink Panthers’ which is linked to at least 100 high-value armed robberies in nearly 20 countries.

Photographs of key members of the ‘Pink Panthers’ had been circulated amongst the INTERPOL member countries targeted by the gang. The INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Monaco had then distributed the images to law enforcement throughout the principality.One of the men was arrested after being involved in a car accident and when the police officer arrived at the hospital to take his statement, he recognized him from the posters and images which had been circulated to all police stations. The second man was arrested shortly afterwards.

“This result is a perfect demonstration of what can be achieved through member countries sharing identifying information such as photographs, fingerprints and DNA via INTERPOL,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

“But even more importantly, NCB Monaco ensured that police on the street were informed which in turn enabled this officer to do his job, and his vigilance in particular should be commended,” said Mr Noble.

“These arrests again demonstrate that this type of global crime is best fought using the global tools provided by INTERPOL to its 187 member countries,” concluded the Secretary General.

Following the arrest, NCB Monaco checked both men’s details against INTERPOL’s databases and confirmed that they were both wanted by several countries, including Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the United Arab Emirates for a range of offences including armed robbery.

INTERPOL hosts European Troika co-operation meeting to boost regional security through global approach

LYON, France, Suara Indonesia News – A meeting bringing together Europe’s Troika of the Article 36 Committee (CATS) and INTERPOL was held yesterday at the global police organization’s General Secretariat in Lyon to discuss and best identify ways of strengthening co-operation between INTERPOL and the European Union (EU).

Talks between the Troika – consisting of delegations from the current French Presidency of the EU, the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, the EU Commission, as well as from the forthcoming Czech EU Presidency and Europol – and INTERPOL’s European Committee (IEC) particularly focused on the need for both international arenas of co-operation to avoid duplication of international law enforcement work and harness their initiatives to establish synergies to address today’s security challenges.

The meeting saw the European Troika and INTERPOL review a number of initiatives and issues, which included:

* extending access to INTERPOL’s tools and services, including its global Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database which contains more than 16 million entries
* cyber-crime, particularly trans-border organized crime and internet-facilitated crimes against children and the need to address such offences through international investigations given that such crimes require that police co-operate across borders and the digital divide worldwide
* establishing standards and a compatible database architecture on the exchange of information on stolen works of art, and
* ways of strengthening the exchange of police information, taking into account personal data protection instruments within both bodies on the handling and exchange of personal data

Other topics for discussion included capacity building in Africa to enhance law enforcement action, including against drug trafficking which is an important concern for the EU. In this respect INTERPOL outlined its Operational Assistance Services and Infrastructure Support (OASIS) programme for police infrastructure development in Africa – funded by Germany with more than 20 million Euros over four years – through a global and integrated approach to fighting crime. Eventually, the OASIS model will be rolled out to all of INTERPOL’s regions.

The meeting also discussed mutual strategies to increase and extend their co-operation on police training – one of INTERPOL’s core functions – as highlighted via current collaboration between INTERPOL and the European Police College CEPOL.

'The European Union is a very important component of INTERPOL’s Europe region; it has supported many important INTERPOL initiatives that have helped to keep European citizens safer,” said INTERPOL Executive Director for Police Services Jean-Michel Louboutin. “INTERPOL, underpinned by its neutrality and global police services across 187 member countries, will therefore continually seek to identify ways of institutionalizing and enhancing its strategic relationship with the EU in the cause of global law enforcement.”

The concept of strategic global partnerships is central to INTERPOL’s future mission as enshrined in its Global Security Initiative (GSI), with the organization having entered into a variety of partnerships with the European Union, United Nations, and the private sector.

“Today's discussions between the European Union's CATS Troïka and INTERPOL have clearly highlighted the need for closer ties between the two institutions, particularly in the areas of stolen or lost travel documents, cybercrime and stolen works of art. As a worldwide organization, INTERPOL is well-positioned to give considerable support to European initiatives,” said Ms Geneviève Bourdin, Inspecteur Général, Head of the European and International Affairs Unit at the Office of the Director General of French National Police, at the end of the visit.

Since INTERPOL's 37th European Regional Conference in Lithuania in May this year, Mr. Pierre Reuland, former Director General of Luxembourg Police Grand-Ducale, has been appointed as Special Representative of INTERPOL to the European Union in order to set up an INTERPOL office in Brussels and to strengthen the partnership in police co-operation with the European Union.

Singapore Police Commissioner elected new President of INTERPOL

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Suara Indonesia News – Singapore police force Commissioner KHOO Boon Hui has been elected the new President of INTERPOL by delegates at the 77th General Assembly.

As President of the Organization, Mr Khoo’s role during his four-year term will include chairing meetings of the Executive Committee which supervises the implementation of decisions taken at the General Assembly.

In taking up his post as INTERPOL President, Commissioner Khoo said that he was ‘truly honoured to be entrusted with the role’.

'INTERPOL plays a critical role in international police co-operation,' said Mr Khoo. 'As the new President, I will help the Organization form strategic alliances and build on its existing programmes which will allow INTERPOL to better meet the demands of international policing.'

Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said that Mr Khoo’s election came at a pivotal time for the Organization. 'INTERPOL has now launched its Global Security Initiative which will provide the blueprint for international law enforcement in the 21st century,' said Mr Noble. 'I am sure that under the Presidency of Mr Khoo, the GSI and our other key initiatives will help all our 187 member countries to fully meet the policing challenges they face.

'I am looking forward to working closely with him in ensuring that INTERPOL remains at the forefront of international law enforcement.'

Mr Mostapha Mouzouni was elected as Vice-President for the Africa region. A former delegate for Africa, Mr Mouzouni will serve a three-year term, joining Vice-President for the Americas, Arturo Herrera Verdugo and Vice-President for Europe, Juergen Stock.

Also elected to the Executive Committee were the Director of CID in Angola, Eduardo Fernandes Cerqueira, and the Head of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Cairo Magdy Elshafey as delegates for Africa. Maria del Pilar Hurtado Afanador, Director of Colombia’s Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS) was elected delegate for the Americas. Petter Dyhre, Assistant Chief of Police for Norway, and 1st degree Chief Superintendent Süleyman Isildar from Turkey both elected as delegates for Europe.

INTERPOL elects new President and embarks on ambitious course with launch of Global Security Initiative

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Suara Indonesia News – INTERPOL's 77th General Assembly closed today with delegates electing Singapore Police Commissioner KHOO Boon Hui to be the Organization’s new President.

Accepting the four-year Presidency, Commissioner Khoo said he looked forward to serving all of the 187 member countries.

'INTERPOL plays a critical role in international police co-operation by equipping police forces around the world with the necessary infrastructure, training and operational support to combat transnational crime and terrorism,' Mr Khoo said. 'As the Organization's new President I will build on the progress we have made thus far and ensure INTERPOL can better meet the demands of international policing in the 21st century.'

Also elected to the Executive Committee were Mostapha Mouzouni (Morocco) as Vice President for the Africa region, Eduardo Fernandes Cerqueira (Angola) and Magdy Elshafey (Egypt) as delegates for Africa. María del Pilar Hurtado Afanador (Colombia) was elected delegate for the Americas and Petter Dyhre (Norway) and Süleyman Isildar (Turkey) delegates for Europe.

During the four-day conference, delegates also endorsed a series of measures to build national police capacity within a modern framework for action for its collective membership, which grew to 187 after the Vatican City State was admitted to the world’s largest police organization.

In a significant development for modern-day global law enforcement, INTERPOL launched its Global Security Initiative (GSI) when delegates adopted it as the Organization’s platform for 21st century global policing.

In calling on governments and the private sector alike to endow the GSI fund with a billion Euros, Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said 'it will shape dialogue on how best to address regional and global security challenges by breaking down traditional barriers that have prevented meaningful and sustained partnerships between governments, international organizations and the private sector.'More than 700 senior law enforcement representatives from around the world backed a number of resolutions at the conference, including the creation of an INTERPOL Computer Forensic Analysis Unit. Services provided for member countries by this unit will include training, impartial and independent assistance into computer forensics examination on missions, and the development of international standards for the search, seizure and investigation of electronic evidence.

Another resolution called on member countries to encourage and empower the Organization’s 187 National Central Bureaus (NCBs) to increase their use of public Yellow Notice alerts for missing adults and of Red Notice alerts for fugitives and prison escapees, in order to maximize public assistance for investigations.

Secretary General Noble said the conference had laid the groundwork for the INTERPOL of the future, saying that 'it will create and provide the tools and structures that frontline police worldwide need to carry out their work.'

He said the General Assembly’s forward-looking strategy 'marks a landmark for the Organization and an opportunity for all of us to embrace a vision for a stronger global law enforcement community, and a stronger INTERPOL: a vision that makes full use of partnerships and resources to ensure that law enforcement can fully meet new challenges to ensure the safety of our citizens.'

State of Vatican City police visit INTERPOL to discuss its application to become INTERPOL’s 187th member country

Suara Indonesia News - With the State of Vatican City’s application to become INTERPOL’s 187th member country due to be put to vote at the organization’s General Assembly meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia (7-10 October 2008), closer collaboration with INTERPOL and developing law enforcement capacity were the focus of a visit today by the head of the State of Vatican City’s gendarmerie, Mr Domenico Giani, to INTERPOL’s General Secretariat in Lyon, France. Discussions between Mr Giani (pictured right) and INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble included the increased use of INTERPOL's law enforcement resources such as its databases and secure communication systems to address public safety, counter-terrorism and criminality.

Mr Giani said that close co-operation with INTERPOL marked a big step forward for security at the State of Vatican City because of its access to the global police organization’s network of 186 member countries’ law enforcement services and National Central Bureaus. Mr Giani has previously underlined the importance of two newly created anti-terrorism units at the State of Vatican City in working closely with international police experts at INTERPOL and around the world to prevent possible attacks.

Thai court jails pedophile arrested after INTERPOL global appeal

BANGKOK , Thailand, Suara Indonesia News – Christopher Paul NEIL, a Canadian national apprehended in Thailand following INTERPOL’s unprecedented public appeal for help in identifying a man photographed sexually abusing children, has been sentenced by a Bangkok court to 3 years and 3 months in prison. He had pleaded guilty on 12 May to sexually abusing a Thai boy. This is the first of two cases for which Neil was charged.

The court found him guilty of all charges and first sentenced him to 6 years and 6 months, but reduced his sentence on account of his guilty plea. He was also ordered to pay 60,000 Thai Bahts (around 1,800 US dollars) to the family of the victim as compensation.

Neil, aged 33, was arrested by the Royal Thai Police on 19 October 2007, just 11 days after INTERPOL launched its global public appeal known as Operation Vico. The appeal was initiated after German police computer experts successfully produced clear images of Neil's face, which had been digitally swirled to disguise his image in more than 200 images of child sex abuse found on the Internet.

INTERPOL received more than 300 tips from the public in response to the appeal, with five people naming Neil – then teaching young students English in the Republic of Korea – as a potential match.

INTERPOL shared its leads with Thai police on 11 October as Neil fled Korea to Thailand in the hope of evading arrest.

The Royal Thai Police immediately followed up on the leads, identified Thai child victims, and on 18 October, issued an arrest warrant for Neil and INTERPOL published a Red Notice – an international wanted persons notice.

"Neil’s arrest came as a result of extensive coordinated work between INTERPOL and police in several countries first to identify Vico as Christopher Paul Neil, and then to bring him to justice," said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

“Most importantly, the arrest and conviction of Neil, a Canadian, for the sexual abuse of children in Southeast Asia demonstrates that INTERPOL will use all available legal tools, including obtaining media and public support, to track down these predators wherever they may be found,” added Secretary General Noble.

“What Operation Vico also shows is that keeping our children safe from sexual predators in the 21st Century can best be achieved by ensuring that local, national and international police co-operate across borders and across the digital divide worldwide.”

Neil pleaded not guilty in early June to similar charges involving the victim’s brother, who was nine years old at the time of the alleged offence. The trial in that case will begin in Bangkok on 7 October. He also faces charges in Cambodia.

INTERPOL lauds Venezuelan capture of suspected Colombian drug lord and accomplice

LYON, France, Suara Indonesia News – The arrest of an alleged Colombian drug lord and his accomplice in an operation co-ordinated jointly by Venezuelan law enforcement forces and INTERPOL’s National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in Caracas and Bogota has been praised by INTERPOL, the world’s global police organization.

Marcos Jose OROZCO WILCHES and his accomplice, Aldo Mario ALVAREZ DURAN, were apprehended on 7 and 8 September respectively in Maracaibo City in the state of Zulia bordering Colombia, following extensive co-operation between INTERPOL’s NCBs in Venezuela and Colombia and Venezuela's National Anti-Drug Agency, coupled with intelligence gathered by Venezuelan security forces.

The suspects had been the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice – or international wanted persons notice – issued at the request of authorities in the U.S. where both are wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for drug trafficking and for membership of a criminal organization.“These arrests are a credit to Venezuela’s law enforcement officers and agencies and clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of inter agency and cross-border co-operation,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

“Such operations underline the ongoing commitment and collaboration of valued INTERPOL member countries such as Venezuela and Colombia to bring fugitives to justice, and the value to frontline law enforcement officers in ensuring they have access to vital police information contained in INTERPOL’s databases.”

At the time of his arrest, Orozco Wilches – who has been taken to Caracas for questioning – was the second major Colombian drug suspect arrested in Venezuela this year. Hermagoras Gonzalez Polanco, one of the U.S. government's most-wanted drug trafficking suspects, was captured in March.

While Red Notices are placed in INTERPOL’s central database which can be queried by any of its member countries, they can also be added to foreign law enforcement databases and border lookout systems.

Many INTERPOL member countries view a Red Notice as the basis for the provisional arrest of a wanted person with a view to their extradition. It can be requested by any of INTERPOL’s member countries, and is issued by INTERPOL’S General Secretariat. Issued in all four of INTERPOL’s official languages – Arabic, English, French and Spanish – a Red Notice remains in effect until the wanted fugitive is extradited.

Ronald Kenneth Noble, INTERPOL Secretary General

Ronald K. Noble was elected Secretary General by the 69th INTERPOL General Assembly in Rhodes, Greece, in 2000, and was unanimously reelected to a second five-year term by the 74th INTERPOL General Assembly in Berlin, Germany, in 2005. He is also a tenured Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, on leave of absence while serving as INTERPOL’s Secretary General.

Mr Noble previously served as the United States Department of Treasury’s first Undersecretary for Enforcement (1993-1996), where he was in charge of some of the US’s then-largest law enforcement agencies, including the Secret Service, Customs Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and Office of Foreign Assets Control. Prior to that, he served as an Assistant US Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the US Department of Justice (1984-1989).

A former member of INTERPOL’s Executive Committee, Mr Noble was also President of the 26-nation Financial Action Task Force, the anti-money laundering organization established by the G7 in 1989. Mr Noble served as a Law C lerk for Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, from 1982-1984, where he received the highest evaluation ever given to a Law Clerk by Judge Higginbotham.

Under Mr Noble’s leadership, INTERPOL has reorganized its activities around four core functions, transformed its technology and revitalized its databases and operational police support services. Between 2000 and 2006, INTERPOL’s identification of suspected terrorists increased by more than 300 percent; the number of Red Notices – international wanted persons notices – issued by INTERPOL nearly tripled, from 1,077 to 2,804; the number of ‘diffusions’ (similar to a ‘be on the lookout’ in the United States) issued through INTERPOL more than doubled – from 5,333 to 12,212; and the number of annual arrests of individuals who were the subjects of INTERPOL Red Notices or diffusions surged from 534 to 4,259, a 698 per cent increase. In total, more than 16,000 international criminals who were the subjects of INTERPOL Red Notices or diffusions were arrested during this period.

In addition, INTERPOL has created and launched the world’s first and only global police communications system, called I-24/7, which empowers police agencies in 186 countries to instantly exchange information and to access INTERPOL’s databases. It has launched the world’s first global database of stolen and lost travel documents, which currently contains information on nearly 14 million travel documents from more than 120 countries; has created the world’s first international automated DNA database; has created a database aimed at fighting the sexual exploitation of children on the Internet; and has created and deployed technologies, called MIND/FIND, that can put many of these tools into the hands of officers at airports, borders or anywhere else they are needed.

Under Mr Noble’s leadership, INTERPOL has also created the Command and Co-ordination Centre, which operates around the clock in all of INTERPOL’s four official languages (Arabic, English, French and Spanish) to serve as the first point of contact for any member country faced with a terrorist attack or other crisis. It is the only operations center in the world through which any officer in any country can reach out to the global law enforcement community for information or other assistance regarding an investigation.

INTERPOL has also created deployable Incident Response Teams (IRT), which can be dispatched to the scene within hours of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other major crisis, and INTERPOL Major Event Support Teams (IMEST), which are available to help co-ordinate security for major international events.

Mr Noble oversaw the opening of INTERPOL’s New York office at the United Nations in 2004, which resulted in closer collaboration between the two organizations, including the creation of the INTERPOL-United Nations Security Council Special Notice for individuals subject to UN sanctions against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. As a result of this successful collaboration, the UN unanimously adopted a resolution to encourage further co-operation between the UN and INTERPOL, marking the first time in history that a UN resolution focused exclusively on the work of law enforcement through INTERPOL.

Mr Noble has tirelessly promoted these innovations and other INTERPOL services by personally meeting with officials from around the world, both those who visit the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Lyon, France, and those he has met in the more than 100 countries he has visited since taking office. He has also given official testimony before the United States Congress, G8 and other bodies, and has authored a number of articles for books, newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and other publications.

Mr Noble has also spearheaded the creation of a bioterrorism prevention unit at the General Secretariat, and has initiated the process of creating the INTERPOL Anti-Corruption Academy, in Vienna, Austria, which will be the world’s first international institute dedicated to fighting corruption.

During his tenure, Mr Noble has presided over a period of unprecedented growth at the organization. Between 2000 and 2006, the INTERPOL budget rose by nearly 50 per cent, while the number of nationalities represented at the General Secretariat and regional offices increased from 52 to more than 80.

Mr Noble holds a Juris Doctorate Degree from Stanford University Law School, where he was Articles Editor for the Stanford Law Review, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire. A national of the United States, Mr Noble speaks French, German and Spanish in addition to his native English.

Netherlands Antilles Justice Minister pledges enhanced use of INTERPOL tools to protect borders

LYON, France, Suara Indonesia News – Law enforcement officers at border points across the Netherlands Antilles are to be given access to INTERPOL’s global database on Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) to enhance national and regional security.

During a visit to the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters, Minister of Justice for the Netherlands Antilles, Mr David A. Dick announced that by early 2009, all visitors entering the country would have their travel documents checked against INTERPOL’s database of nearly 16 million entries from 137 countries.“Giving our immigration, customs and police agencies direct access to the INTERPOL database through our Border Management System infrastructure will provide another significant layer of security not just for the citizens of the Netherlands Antilles, but for the million and half visitors who come each year,” said Minister Dick.

“The connection of the Netherlands Antilles border control points to the INTERPOL database follows the successes seen by Caribbean region since they linked to the system for the Cricket World Cup, and I shall be speaking with my counterparts in the ministries in Aruba and Surinam to promote the system and encourage their participation in the near future.”

The system devised and implemented by INTERPOL means that border control officers carrying out standard checks are instantly alerted if a person is travelling on a document recorded as lost or stolen internationally, without the need to conduct a separate search.

“The value of providing direct access to INTERPOL’s database to officers on the ground has been proven time and time again and I am pleased that law enforcement in the Netherlands Antilles will also soon be able to take advantage of this vital policing tool,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

Currently 33 INTERPOL member countries provide direct access to the SLTD database to national law enforcement officers. So far in 2008 nearly 50 million searches have been conducted worldwide resulting in more than 9,000 people being identified as travelling on stolen or lost passports.

Korean delegation updated on INTERPOL activities during official visit

Suara Indonesia News - Director General of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Korean National Police Agency, Senior Superintendent General Kang Ho Song (second from right) is briefed on a range of INTERPOL activities during a visit to the General Secretariat in Lyon, France.Accompanied by senior officers from the CIB’s Scientific Investigation Center, the Drug Investigation Department and the Cyber Terror Response Center, Mr Song was updated on the activities of INTERPOL’s Financial and High Tech Crime and Drugs and Criminal Organizations units, and was briefed on various tools and support services provided by the world’s largest police organization, including its global databases of suspected terrorists, fingerprints and DNA.

The Korean National Police Agency and INTERPOL will co-host an international symposium on cybercrime in November in Seoul.

Media invitation for INTERPOL’s 77th General Assembly in Russia

LYON, France, Suara Indonesia News – Developing national law enforcement capacity to enhance international policing will be the focus of INTERPOL’s 77th General Assembly to take place in St Petersburg, Russia from 7 – 10 October, 2008.

Senior law enforcement officials and security experts from around the world will gather to discuss topics ranging from security at major global events such as this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, to increased use of INTERPOL’s notices system to locate fugitives and prison escapees and to alert member countries’ to potentially dangerous individuals travelling abroad.The opening ceremony and speeches by senior Russian and INTERPOL officials will take place at 10.30am on Tuesday 7 October and will be open to the media. This will be followed at 11.30am by a press conference at which simultaneous translation into the organization’s four official languages, Arabic, English, French and Spanish, as well as Russian, will be available.

Although the main conference proceedings are closed to the press, there will be media briefings on a range of subjects on Wednesday and Thursday 8-9 October. Interviews with police officials and international delegates may also be arranged upon request.

The General Assembly will take place at the Park Inn Pribaltiyskaya Hotel, 14 Korablestroiteley Street, St. Petersburg 199226 Russia.

Journalists wishing to cover this event should apply for accreditation no later than Wednesday 10 September. Applications must include the following;

* Family name and forenames of the journalist attending and position held
* Nationality and date of birth
* Passport number
* Address, contact telephone numbers and email address
* Full official contact details for the media organization represented

Applications should be made on official headed paper of the media organization they represent and faxed to +7 495 667 0841 and should be clearly marked ‘Accreditation request for INTERPOL 77th General Assembly.’ Please note that journalists requiring a visa will have to apply for this through the usual channels.

Journalists without accreditation will not be granted access, and all accredited media representatives will be expected to present their press credentials and national identification documents at the media registration desk upon arrival.