SANTIAGO, Chile: Following a comprehensive two-day meeting, South American police chiefs have committed to expanding their reliance on INTERPOL to address the escalating threats to national security posed by transnational crime and associated violence.
The two-day meeting of police leaders from the region concluded with a declaration supporting increased cooperation and action in various domains, including:
Addressing the financial flows and illicit profits from organized crime.
Formulating joint strategies with national authorities overseeing prisons and detention centers.
Enhancing collaboration with customs and immigration services to counter drug and firearms trafficking.
Utilizing INTERPOL’s databases and tools more extensively, especially the Notices system.
The Regional Bureau (RB) of INTERPOL for South America, headquartered in Buenos Aires, was acknowledged for its crucial role in coordinating responses to critical crimes including child sexual abuse, corruption, cyber-crime, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, money laundering, and terrorism.
In this regard, the police chiefs also pledged to provide strategic information to the Regional Bureau. This information will be used to create analytical reports on regional crime trends and to identify potential cross-border connections.
INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock remarked that transnational organized crime is expanding rapidly and evolving without restraint. This has led law enforcement to confront a complex landscape of multiple crimes, where international threats affect both national and local contexts. He emphasized that by convening police leaders and understanding their challenges, effective strategies can be jointly identified to bolster global security architecture. Secretary General Stock highlighted that this was precisely the outcome of the meeting of South American Police Chiefs.
The biennial high-level event convened police chiefs and directors from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. This meeting is due to be held every two years for a review to comprehensively assess the dynamic regional crime landscape and strategize law enforcement responses.
