Morocco’s Hosting of 93rd INTERPOL GA Reflects Firm Commitment to Enhanced Multilateral Security Cooperation – Top Police Chief

Marrakech – Morocco’s hosting of the 93rd INTERPOL General Assembly, which kicked off Monday in Marrakech, reflects the Kingdom’s firm commitment to enhancing multilateral security cooperation and its active involvement in international efforts to combat the growing threats of transnational organized crime, Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance Abdellatif Hammouchi said.

“This ongoing commitment falls in line with the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who deems security to be a common good and a shared responsibility, the safeguarding of which depends on solid institutional cooperation, societal partnerships, and enshrined joint action at the international level,” Hammouchi emphasized at the opening of the session (November 24-27). In this regard, the Kingdom’s National Security services have put in place an integrated security strategy that combines the preservation of security with respect for human rights, where police action and security communication are inseparable, in the service of the citizen, he noted. “Faced with cross-border threats due to the repercussions of virtual criminal structures, the interconnection of criminal networks and entities, and the proliferation of regional terrorist hubs, it is necessary to create common and indivisible security structures based on close coordination between national police forces, INTERPOL, and relevant regional organizations,” he said. To ensure collective security, it is important to both develop national security institutions and modernize their operating mechanisms to meet the growing expectations of citizens, he continued, calling for enshrining international cooperation and mutual assistance between States. In addition, Hammouchi highlighted INTERPOL’s central role in promoting international police cooperation, bolstering multilateral cooperation mechanisms, and enshrining ties between law enforcement agencies in different member countries, adding that the resurgence of security threats and the emergence of new forms of crime, paired with the misuse of new technologies, impose increased responsibilities and burdens on both INTERPOL and national security agencies. He then expressed the shared ambition of an “INTERPOL of tomorrow” with a view to building a safer world, where security is the foundation of development and the pillar of prosperity and stability, adding that the achievement of this goal should inevitably pass through this General Assembly held in the Red City. In this context, he welcomed this session’s focus on new security challenges and emerging atypical threats, noting that deploying new global police capabilities, strengthening INTERPOL’s regional presence and its operational impact, and encouraging States to ratify the United Nations Convention on Cybercrime are all topical issues that call for greater international solidarity against cybercrime, now a form of hybrid warfare aimed at weakening States and undermining their security and stability. Devoting a significant portion of the discussions to the role of women and their place in policing is also a commendable initiative recognizing the gender approach in this area, given the successes achieved by female police officers in the field, including in the most complex and dangerous situations, Hammouchi noted. “The Kingdom of Morocco has every confidence in the success of this General Assembly and remains committed to strengthening its joint action with the INTERPOL General Secretariat and all member countries,” he said, adding that this commitment stems from a firm belief that security is a shared investment and a collective achievement everyone must work to achieve, safeguard, and uphold on an ongoing basis. He concluded that INTERPOL’s General Assembly is the most appropriate platform for discussing collective security issues and devising the best approaches to preserve and strengthen it. As Interpol’s supreme governing body, the General Assembly is the largest global gathering of law enforcement leaders. It provides an opportunity for member countries to build relationships and share experiences. This 93rd General Assembly will address various issues, including identifying and dismantling cross-border organized crime, dismantling transnational scam centers, strengthening INTERPOL’s global police capabilities, and promoting the role of women in policing.