At the invitation of Mr. Jürgen Stock, Secretary General of INTERPOL, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), spoke at the in-person plenary session of the 89th General Assembly of INTERPOL, held in Istanbul, Turkey from 23 to 25 November 2021, to strengthen Customs-Police cooperation.

Referring to recent successful joint operations, Dr. Mikuriya highlighted the importance of sharing information and intelligence between Customs and Police. He stressed that this would enhance Customs capability, as the first line of defence at borders, for improved targeting against illicit trade and to better assist Police with its expertise in criminal organizations.

Secretary General Mikuriya explained how the WCO supports Customs administrations in identifying goods and applying risk management techniques based on its international standards, strengthening Customs cooperation, and supporting capacity building. He added that these efforts, along with the cooperation between Customs and Police and by respecting each other’s competence and building mutual trust, contribute to making the world safer.

The INTERPOL General Assembly adopted its Strategic Framework for 2022-2024 and identified four strategic areas : provision of quality data for action; cooperation and strategic partnership with police and non-police actors; innovation supported by research; and organizational performance. It also adopted a substantial and progressive increase in Member statutory contributions over the coming three years that marks a departure from the current zero-real-growth policy in contributions.