Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 90th Interpol General Assembly 2022 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi Tuesday and called for global cooperation in the Union government's effort to ensure local welfare.
"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 said while addressing the 90th Interpol General Assembly in New Delhi.
The Interpol General Assembly is taking place in India from October 18-21 after a gap of about 25 years. It was last held in 1997. The Assembly, this time, is being attended by delegations from 195 Interpol member countries comprising ministers, police chiefs of countries, heads of national central bureaus and senior police officers.
In his address, Modi highlighted India's celebration of 75 years of its independence as "a celebration of people and cultures". India’s proposal to host the Interpol’s General Assembly in 2022 at New Delhi coinciding with celebrations for the 75th year of India’s independence was accepted by the General Assembly with an overwhelming majority, the PMO said
Interpol will be celebrating 100 years of its inception in the year 2023, Modi said, adding that it is a great time to rejoice and reflect, learn from setbacks and look to the future with hope.
A PMO release stated that Modi highlighted the connection of Interpol philosophy with the 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.
“We made sacrifices to make the world a better place even before India got independence,” he said, ading that thousands of Indians have sacrificed their lives in world wars.
Talking about Covid vaccines and climate targets, Modi informed that India has shown a willingness to take the lead in any kind of crisis.
Police forces furthering social welfare
Police forces across the world are not just protecting people, but are furthering social welfare, Modi said, adding, “They are at the frontline of society’s response to any crisis”.
Modi 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.
Modi also underlined the geographical and cultural diversity of India and talked about its size and vastness of India.
“Indian Police”, he said “at the federal and state levels, cooperate to implement more than 900 national and around ten thousand state laws.”
“Our police forces work while respecting the diversity and rights of the people promised by the Constitution. They not only protect the people but also serve our democracy,” he said.
Interpol's Achievements
Speaking about the achievements of Interpol, the prime minister said 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.
Emerging threats
Modi 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, Modi 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,” he said.
The prime minister said terrorism is no longer fought only in the physical space but is spreading rapidly through online radicalization and cyber threats. He 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, he said, “Each nation is working on strategies against them. But what we do within our borders is no longer enough.”
Modi 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.
Dangers of Corruption
The Prime Minister elaborated on the dangers of corruption: “The corrupt 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".
Calling upon the global community must work even faster to eliminate safe havens, Modi said: “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”.
The prime minister 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... A safe and secure world is our shared responsibility. When the forces of good cooperate, the forces of crime cannot operate.”
Modi expressed hope that the 90th Interpol General Assembly would prove to be an effective and successful platform for tackling crime, corruption and terrorism.
“Let communication, collaboration and cooperation defeat crime, corruption and terrorism,” he said.
On the occasion, the prime minister inaugurated the National Police Heritage Display and witnessed the Entrance of the Colours - a march past by the ITBP contingent, on his arrival.
The prime minister was presented with a bonsai plant by Ahmed Naser Al Rais, President of Interpol. Subsequently, he released a commemorative postal stamp and a Rs 100 coin to mark the 90th Interpol General Assembly
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Interpol president Ahmed Naser Al Rais, Interpol Secretary General, Jurgen Stock, and CBI director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal were present on the occasion.
The General Assembly is Interpol’s supreme governing body and meets once a year to take key decisions related to its functioning. The event provides an opportunity to showcase best practices in India’s law and order system to the entire world.
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