There Can Be No Safe Havens For Corrupt, Terrorists, Drug Cartels PM Modi At Interpol General Assembly: Here Is All You Need To Know

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 90th Interpol General Assembly in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister highlighted the connection of Interpol philosophy with Indian culture and underlined the similarity between the INTERPOL’s motto of ‘Connecting Police with a Safer World’ with quote from the Vedas stating “Aano Bhadra Krtavo Yantu Vishwatah” i.e. let noble thoughts come from all directions, which, he elaborated that it is a call for universal cooperation to make the world a better place.

• Remarking on the unique global outlook of India, the Prime Minister highlighted that India is one of the top contributors in sending brave men and women to the United Nations Peacekeeping operations. Modi said, “We made sacrifices to make the world a better place even before India got independence.” He further added that thousands of Indians have sacrificed their lives in world wars. Talking about Covid vaccines and climate targets, the Prime Minister informed that India has shown a willingness to take the lead in any kind of crisis. “At a time when nations and societies are becoming inward-looking, India calls for more international cooperation. Global cooperation for local welfare is our call”, Modi added.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi further added that police forces across the world are not just protecting people, but are furthering social welfare. “They are at the frontline of society’s response to any crisis”, Modi added. The Prime Minister gave the example of the covid crisis and pointed out that police personnel put their own lives at risk to help people out. “ Many of them even made the ultimate sacrifice in service of the people”, he said.

• Speaking about the achievements of Interpol, the Prime Minister remarked that Interpol has connected police organizations globally across 195 countries for the past 99 years, and to mark the glorious occasion, the Government of India is releasing a commemorative stamp and coin.

• Prime Minister reminded about many emerging harmful globalized threats that the world faces such as terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking, poaching and organised crime. “The pace of change of these dangers is faster than earlier. When threats are global, the response cannot be just local! It is high time that the world comes together to defeat these threats”, he said.

• Throwing light on the evils of transnational terrorism, the Prime Minister remarked that India has been combating it for several decades, even before the world recognised it. “We knew the price of safety and security. Thousands of our people made the ultimate sacrifice in this fight”, PM Modi added.

• Prime Minister elaborated that terrorism is no longer fought only in the physical space but is spreading rapidly through online radicalization and cyber threats. The Prime Minister explained that an attack can be executed or systems can be brought to their knees just by the click of a button. Reiterating the need to further develop international strategies, the Prime Minister said, “Each nation is working on strategies against them. But what we do within our borders is no longer enough.” He further suggested the establishment of early detection and warning systems, protecting transportation services, security for communication infrastructure, security for  critical infrastructure, technical and technological assistance, intelligence exchange, and various other things be taken to a new level.

• Prime Minister elaborated on the dangers of corruption. He said that corruption and financial crimes have harmed the welfare of the citizens of many countries. “The corrupt”, he continued,   “find a way to park the proceeds of crime in different parts of the world. This money belongs to the citizens of the country from which they have been taken.” Often, this has been taken from some of the poorest people in the world. Furthermore, the money is put to many deleterious uses.

• The Prime Minister emphasized that there is a need for the global community to work even faster to eliminate safe havens. “There can be no safe havens for the corrupt, terrorists, drug cartels,  poaching gangs or organized crime. Such crimes against people in one place are crimes against everyone, crimes against humanity”, he added.

• The Prime Minister Modi said “Police and law enforcement agencies need to devise procedures and protocols to increase cooperation. Interpol can help by speeding up Red Corner Notices for fugitive offenders. The Prime Minister remarked, “A safe and secure world is our shared responsibility. When the forces of good cooperate, the forces of crime cannot operate.”

The 90th General Assembly of Interpol will be place from October 18 to October 21. Delegations from 195 Interpol member nations, including ministers, police chiefs, heads of national central offices, and senior police personnel, are present at the summit. The General Assembly is the top governing body of Interpol and meets once a year to make critical operational decisions./p>

After almost 25 years, the Interpol General Assembly meeting is being held in India; it was previously held in 1997. India’s proposal to host the General Assembly of Interpol in 2022 in New Delhi, coinciding with the country’s 75th anniversary of independence, was approved by an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly. This event provides an opportunity to demonstrate India’s law and order system’s best practises to the entire world.