During the first day of the 26th Interpol African Regional Conference, Stock noted that joint efforts led to more than two thousand arrests in the same period, and underlined the importance that the entity attaches to the continent.
There is no other region in the world where Interpol projects have such a strong presence on the ground, added the Secretary General, who exemplified that in 2023 alone, more than 40 initiatives worth more than 170 million euros were launched.
These were aimed at strengthening the capabilities of African law enforcement forces in terms of connectivity, criminal analysis and operational support, he specified, and confirmed that Africa is one of the main priorities for the organization.
Organized crime has exploded around the world and is becoming stronger and more influential every day, Stock said, and urged an international response to prevent this scourge from threatening communities, companies and even the planet, as natural resources are exploited on an industrial scale.
The criminal threats currently facing law enforcement agencies in Africa are unprecedented, but our levels of cooperation have also grown, he said.
The Secretary General of Interpol expressed his confidence that during the Conference they will take important steps to continue improving the exchange of essential police information and the entity’s presence in Africa.
Meanwhile, the president of Interpol, Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, pointed out that joint work with the African Union Police Cooperation Mechanism (Afripol) recently made it possible to dismantle 24 criminal cyber networks that sought to seize more than 40 million dollars in the region.
He added that as part of their operations, in May this year they blocked more than 200 bank accounts linked to various networks of criminal organizations in West Africa.
He considered that the continent faces an increase in cybercrime, which is creating great challenges for governments, companies and citizens, as attacks are increasingly complex and methods for accessing confidential data and information, more innovative.
In this regard, he emphasized the need to create more and more capabilities to combat international crime on a global scale.
According to Interpol’s Executive Director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh, the Conference will be a true platform to examine challenges, reassess strategies and reaffirm determination and unity as a region to provide security to citizens.
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