Morocco is overwhelmingly elected to be INTERPOL's Vice-Presidency for Africa

Morocco's Directorate General of National Security has made an official announcement

Entrega ceremonial de la bandera de INTERPOL por el Sr. Dan Jarvis, ministro de Seguridad del Reino Unido, al Sr. Abdellatif Hammouchi, jefe de la DGSN y a la delegación marroquí - PHOTO/@DGSN_MAROC — Ceremonial presentation of the INTERPOL flag by Mr Dan Jarvis, UK Minister for Security, to Mr Abdellatif Hammouchi, head of the DGSN and the Moroccan delegation - PHOTO/@DGSN_MAROC

Updated: 27/11/24

Morocco has been elected by a majority vote to serve as Vice-Presidencyof the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) for Africa, Morocco's Directorate General of National Security (DGSN) has officially announced.

In recognition of Morocco's efforts to maintain regional and international security and stability, as well as its pioneering role in promoting South-South co-operation in security matters, the Kingdom of Morocco's candidature in the INTERPOL Executive Committee elections for the position of INTERPOL Vice-President for Africa was selected by a large majority on Thursday.

The Kingdom of Morocco's representative was elected by a majority of delegates from 196 member countries by a large margin compared to the other candidates during the voting process at INTERPOL's 92nd General Assembly in Glasgow, Scotland, 4-7 November 2024.

El director general de Seguridad Nacional y Vigilancia Territorial pronuncia un discurso durante la sesión de clausura de la 92 Asamblea General de la Organización Internacional de Policía Criminal, Interpol, que tuvo como sede la ciudad de Glasgow, Reino Unido - PHOTO/@DGSN_MAROC</p> — The Director General of Homeland Security and Territorial Policing addresses the closing session of the 92nd General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol, in Glasgow, United Kingdom **- PHOTO/@DGSN_MAROC**

Motivated by an ambitious desire to contribute to the development of policing in Africa, and armed with a strong conviction and determination to promote South-South security co-operation and share its expertise and experience with law enforcement agencies in its continental neighbourhood, Morocco submitted its candidature for the position of INTERPOL Vice-President for Africa, as officially explained by the DGSN.

The Kingdom of Morocco's candidacy for this post was based on King Mohammed VI's directives making South-South co-operation a strategic choice and a priority for the Moroccan kingdom and its partners in Africa, in line with a pragmatic vision focused on developing Morocco's relations with African countries at all levels, including security.

From this perspective, Morocco presented a complete candidacy dossier based on the fundamental and central pillar that investment in police human resources on the African continent, the development of public security arrangements and the strengthening of security cooperation in the African space are the key to stopping illegal immigration and human trafficking networks and preventing them from becoming organically linked to transnational organised crime networks.

<p>Abdellatif Hammouchi, director general de Seguridad Nacional y Vigilancia Territorial, con Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, presidente de Interpol, al margen de la 92ª Asamblea General de Interpol - PHOTO/@DGSN_MAROC</p> — Abdellatif Hammouchi, Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, with Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, President of Interpol, on the sidelines of the 92nd INTERPOL General Assembly **- PHOTO/@DGSN_MAROC**

Having been elected to INTERPOL's Executive Committee as Vice-President for Africa, Morocco hopes to co-ordinate efforts with National Central Bureaus in African countries and the rest of the world to provide a rapid and effective response to terrorist threats linked to regional hubs of extremist organisations, as well as co-ordinate joint efforts on the atypical risks associated with the misuse of artificial intelligence and modern technologies by organised crime groups.

The DGSN had nominated Mohammed Dkhissi, director of the Judicial Police, who heads the National Central Office-INTERPOL Rabat (OCN-Rabat), for the post, which was voted by a majority vote.

DGSN Director General Abdellatif Hammouchi led the Kingdom of Morocco's delegation to INTERPOL's General Assembly in Glasgow, where he participated in multilateral and bilateral discussions on ways to strengthen international security co-operation, enhance joint policing and support Morocco's bid for the position of INTERPOL Vice-President for the African continent.

<p>92a Asamblea General de INTERPOL - PHOTO/@DGSN_MAROC</p> — 92nd INTERPOL General Assembly **- PHOTO/@DGSN_MAROC**

Founded in 1923, INTERPOL is an international criminal police organization whose main objective is to strengthen national capacities and share information and expertise among the security services of 196 member countries in order to prevent and combat the transnational spread of various types of crime and security threats.

INTERPOL connects all member countries through a communication system called I-24/7. Countries use this secure system to contact each other and the INTERPOL General Secretariat. It also allows them to access the supranational body's databases and services in real time from both central and remote locations.

INTERPOL also coordinates networks of police and experts in different categories of crime, who meet in working groups and at conferences to exchange experiences and ideas.

These issues make INTERPOL a very important entity in the fight against criminal and terrorist organisations operating around the world.