The Director of Criminal Investigations, George Kinoti, was on Thursday, November 25, elected to the INTERPOL Executive Committee during the 89th session of the INTERPOL General Assembly, in Istanbul, Turkey.
The DCI’s chief who was voted in overwhelmingly will represent Africa at the key security organ that brings together over 195 member states from across the world.
Kinoti’s election to the decision-making table of the world’s largest police organisation is an endorsement of the strategies that Kenya has put in place in the management of crime, especially in counter-terrorism, organised crime, cyber-crime and transnational crimes among others.
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It is also a vote of confidence in the Directorate of Criminal Investigations where all counter terror-related operations within the region are coordinated.
While making his acceptance speech, Kinoti acknowledged the efforts put in place by member countries in crime management and called upon them to work together, especially in the fight against terror.
“The realisation that we cannot fight this monster alone has contributed to the success that we have registered so far across the world as a result of cooperation and information sharing between our different countries and security agencies,” the DCI chief said.
“With our lessons and experiences in the fight against terror, Kenya’s election to the executive committee of the general assembly couldn’t have come at a better time,” Kinoti noted.
Established OVER 100 years ago, INTERPOL works in conjunction with all member countries and international organisations including the United Nations to combat international crime.
DCI headquarters hosts the INTERPOL regional bureau for East and Central Africa as well as the Eastern Africa Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence.
The INTERPOL General Assembly has elected Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi of the United Arab Emirates as the Organisation’s new President.
The role of the President, which is part-time and unpaid, is to chair the General Assembly and three meetings of the Executive Committee each year. Delegates at the INTERPOL General Assembly have overwhelmingly endorsed amendments to the procedures relating to the nomination and election of Executive Committee candidates.
The changes are the first in a series of planned reforms to modernize and enhance the Organization’s governing bodies and ensure greater transparency.
The new process for Executive Committee elections includes the requirement for candidacies to be submitted at least 45 days before the General Assembly, additional conditions for applications and an updated Election board mandate.
The 13-member Executive Committee is the governing body in charge of supervising the execution of the General Assembly’s decisions and the administration and work of the General Secretariat.
It meets three times a year and sets organizational policy and direction. Its members are elected by the General Assembly and are geographically balanced.
