INTERPOL
93rd INTERPOL General Assembly
The 196 INTERPOL member states met for their annual General Assembly in Marrakesh to discuss new developments in organised crime, innovative technological opportunities and the rise of cybercrime.fedpol held bilateral talks with countries in the Sahel region, Colombia and Morocco, among others, and emphasised the importance of cross-border cooperation. This year's General Assembly was marked by forward-looking elections: Lucas Philippe from France was elected as the new INTERPOL President and the Executive Committee was reappointed.
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) was established in 1923 in Vienna. Switzerland is one of its founding members. A multilateral agreement between 196 national criminal police authorities forms INTERPOL’s legal basis, and its structure consists of three organs: the General Assembly, the Executive Committee, and the General Secretariat. INTERPOL is headquartered in Lyon.
INTERPOL’s three core tasks are the global dissemination of criminal police information, the operation of databases, and the operative support of its member states. Its statutes form the basis for its activities. Its aim is to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities within the framework of member states’ national laws and in the spirit of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The organisation also aims to establish and develop institutions that contribute to preventing and suppressing ordinary crime. On no account may INTERPOL undertake any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious, or racial character. Each member country is required to designate a National Central Bureau (NCB).
The Federal Office of Police (fedpol) is Switzerland’s designated NCB. Its co-operation with INTERPOL is based on Articles 350-353 of the Swiss Criminal Code and on the Ordinance of the National Central Bureau INTERPOL Switzerland dated 21 June 2013.