New Delhi, October 18
Calling the global community to work faster to “eliminate safe havens” for terrorists, criminals and the corrupt, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said when the “forces of good cooperate, the forces of crime cannot operate”.
Inaugurating the 90th General Assembly of Interpol, the prime minister warned about the harmful globalised threats that the world faces — 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,” Modi said.
The prime minister released a commemorative postage stamp and a Rs 100 coin to mark the 90th General Assembly. He was welcomed at the venue by Home Minister Amit Shah, Interpol President Ahmed Naser Al Raisi and Secretary General Jurgen Stock.
Prime Minister Modi was introduced to the Executive Committee by the Interpol president.
In his address to the gathering of 195 member countries of Interpol which included a delegation of Pakistan led by its Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Mohsin Butt, the prime minister said India has been combating trans-national terrorism for several decades.
“Long before the world woke up to it, we knew the price of safety and security. Thousands of our people made the ultimate sacrifice in this fight,” he said.
He said a safe and secure world is a shared responsibility of the global community.
“When the forces of good cooperate, the forces of crime cannot operate,” he said.
He said there can be no safe havens for the corrupt, terrorists, drug cartels, poaching gangs or organised crime.
“Such crimes against people in one place are crimes against everyone, crimes against humanity. Further, these not only harm our present but also impact our future generations. 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,” he said.
India has 780 active Red Notices as of now, of which 205 are related to criminals wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In his 14-minute speech, the prime minister said terrorism is not limited to physical space and has spread its presence through online radicalization and cyber threats.
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