Bandar Seri Begawan - The 81st International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) General Assembly (IGA) was held in Rome, Italy between November 6 and 9, commencing immediately after the conclusion of the second INTERPOL Ministerial Meeting that was held on November 6.

This year's assembly marked the largest ever in the organisation's history with more than 1,000 delegates representing 170 of its 190 member countries in attendance.

The Royal Brunei Police Force delegation was led by the Commissioner of Police, Pehin Orang Kaya Pendikar Alam Dato Paduka Seri Hj Hasrin bin Dato Paduka Hj Sabtu.

The ceremony which was held at the Rome Cavalieri, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, saw Italy's Minister of the Interior, Ananmaria Cancellieri officiate the opening ceremony and address senior police officials, in which she described INTERPOL's global role as "evermore demanding and important', and underlined the strategic importance of the conference, "INTERPOL's general assembly will consider possible responses of member states to transnational crimes such as terrorism, at a time when it is no longer possible to differentiate between internal and external security policies".

The general assembly was chaired by INTERPOL President, Dato Seri Pahlawan Khoo Boon Hui who informed delegates in his opening remarks that the intricately connected and interdependent people of modern day society and markets had created a more complex criminal landscape.

He further highlighted that "The challenges we face arising from the growing complexity of crime are opportunities for us to prove our mettle as the world's largest police organisation.

"We have the systems, processes, databases, innovative tools and partnerships in place, with prospects of more effective ones to come."

The Qatari government pledged to contribute US$10 million for INTERPOL in support of safety and security ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and other major sporting events to come over the next decade.

The agreement, which will see the creation of the INTERPOL Group of Major Event Security Experts (IGMESE), was formally signed by the Chairman of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee's Security Committee, Sheikh Abdulla bin Nasser al-Thani and INTERPOL Secretary General, Ronald K Noble.

The conference also adopted a resolution on border security efforts - by updating the standard operation procedures for the Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database.

Other topics deliberated included promoting international action against illicit proceeds, improving international cooperation and enhancing information exchange on illicit traffic in cultural property and the development of a comprehensive strategy to fight cybercrime through the implementation of a single network of contact points.

During the conference, the first woman president for INTERPOL was elected, Mireille Ballestrazzi, who in her capacity as the Deputy Central Director of the French Judicial Police will serve as the head of INTERPOL for the next four-year period.