Solomon Islands Minister for Police, National Security and Correctional Services Peter Shanel Agovaka has submitted the country’s application for membership to the INTERPOL during a visit to INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore last week.
INTERPOL is a global police organisation whose mission is to enable Police around the world to work together to prevent and fight international crime. The Organisation offers police a high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support to meet the growing challenges posed by criminals and crimes that increasingly move across borders, both physically and virtually.
During the visit, the Solomon Islands delegation which included the Permanent Secretary Edmond Sikua and Police Commissioner Frank Prendergast attended a range of high level briefings from INTERPOL staff.
Issues discussed during the briefings included INTERPOL’s Structure and Governance; the Operational Tools and services offered by INTERPOL; Assistance offered by INTERPOL in respect of Cyber Crime; Capacity development and training offered by INTERPOL; and INTERPOL initiatives in relation to Border Management.
The delegation also toured INTERPOL’s state of the art facility in Singapore including the 24 Hours Command and Coordination Centre, the Digital Forensics Laboratory and the Digital Crime Cyber Fusion Centre.
The delegation also discussed Solomon Islands membership of INTERPOL with INTERPOL staff in Singapore as well as by video conference with INTERPOL Global Headquarters in Lyon, France.
As a result of these discussions and in line with the DCC Government Policy Priorities, Minister Shanel Agovaka formally submitted a letter applying for Solomon Islands membership to INTERPOL.
This application was warmly received and will result in the Solomon Islands achieving full membership to INTERPOL at the conclusion of certain necessary internal INTERPOL processes.
Minister Agovaka said that the application to join INTERPOL was another visible sign of the DCC Governments commitment to working with its International and Regional Partners to mitigate the threat of terrorism and transnational crime and ensure a safe, secure and peaceful Solomon Islands.
Membership to INTERPOL will create an opportunity for law enforcement agencies in Solomon Islands to work together and build their capacity through trainings that will be offered by INTERPOL.
RSIPF Commissioner Frank Prendergast said membership of INTERPOL is another step forward for Police in Solomon Islands and will ensure they have access to a range of information, capabilities and tools to deal with emerging crimes such as Cyber Crime.
It will also ensure that Law Enforcement Agencies in the Solomon Islands are better informed about the activities of international criminal groups; the movement of criminals; and emerging crime trends.