Mr. Hammouchi Participates in 8th INTERPOL Chiefs of Police Meeting for MENA Region

Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, took part, on September 3-4, in the 8th INTERPOL Chiefs of Police Meeting for the Middle East and North Africa region, held at INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon.    Mr. Hammouchi chaired the Moroccan delegation participating in this high-profile security meeting which brought together the heads of security and police agencies in the MENA region, as well as in the Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan and Mauritania, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) said in a press release.    This meeting allowed the Kingdom’s national security services to highlight their experience in combating new forms of crime and to discuss emerging security challenges in the region, including the fight against organized crime, financial flows from hacking, threats of online recruitment and radicalization, financing through cryptocurrencies, the risks of drone terrorist attacks, as well as atypical threats, the same source added.    Thus, the Moroccan delegation presented a comprehensive overview of experience and information sharing relating to the fight against cybercrime and its emerging forms, particularly in light of the growing threats posed by the misuse of new technologies for criminal or terrorist purposes.    During this meeting, INTERPOL presented various solutions, IT applications and databases highlighting how the Organization responds to new threats and risks. This involves the development of INTERPOL’s biometric platform, the assessment of the international criminal threat and the measurement of INTERPOL’s Analysis and Intelligence Network, as well as the support and assistance mechanisms that INTERPOL provides to member countries in terms of training and the fight against different forms of transnational crime.    On the sidelines of this meeting, Mr. Hammouchi held bilateral talks with Neal Jetton, the new Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Department, during which they discussed projects and prospects for joint cooperation between Morocco and INTERPOL to fight the risks associated with the use of technologies in criminal and terrorist schemes.    Mr. Hammouchi also made a field visit to the Interpol’s “Command and Coordination Centre”, the same source said, adding that he held talks with its executives on the mechanisms to strengthen cooperation in cross-border investigations and international prosecutions of internationally wanted persons.    During this meeting, the Moroccan delegation also held bilateral and multilateral talks with the executives of INTERPOL and security and police agencies in the Middle East and North Africa region on the ways to coordinate efforts to face security challenges and risks, from a joint and collective perspective to monitor the regional and international ramifications of organized crime and terrorism, the press release concluded.