India attends INTERPOL conference in France and calls for joint action against organized crime, terrorism and extremist ideologies

A three-member delegation from India led by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Praveen Sood attended the 19th INTERPOL NCB Heads’ Conference, which focused on strengthening operational cooperation among the National Central Bureaus (NCBs) of INTERPOL to combat transnational crimes.

The conference was held from April 23 to 25, 2024 in Lyon, France and was attended by senior police delegations from 136 countries attending this annual event

A CBI press release informed that during the event, the Indian delegation held discussions with law enforcement agencies from multiple countries for better coordination through INTERPOL channels for concerted action to combat organized crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, online radicalization , cyber-enabled financial crimes and to prevent these crimes in real time.

During the plenary meeting, India unequivocally condemned all forms of terrorism and made it clear that there can be no distinction between ‘good terrorism and bad terrorism’. The challenge posed by the nexus between organized crime, terrorism and extremist ideologies was also highlighted, with India mentioning that online radicalization continues to pose a significant challenge to global security.

During a presentation at the plenary, the CBI Director detailed India’s best practices in policing and underlined India’s commitment to leverage technology, innovation and collaboration to enhance public safety, efficiency of law enforcement and upholding the rule of law. Sood also stressed the need to develop international strategies to combat crimes based on early detection and warning systems.

The Indian delegation held detailed discussions on issues of police cooperation with high-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, Spain, Qatar, Bahrain, Italy, France, Indonesia, Thailand, Somalia, Vietnam, Tanzania, South Africa, Germany, USA, Nepal , Great Britain, Australia, Zambia and Portugal. Discussions included facilitating rapid and effective cooperation in the fight against transnational crimes, improving the exchange of criminal information through INTERPOL channels and expediting mutual legal assistance referrals and extradition requests.

In its address to the Asia-Pacific Regional Roundtable, India reiterated its commitment to contributing to regional capacity building and sharing of India’s best policing practices.