SWEDISH POLICE CHIEF NEW CHAIRMAN OF INTERPOL
The chief of Sweden's National Police Board, Björn Eriksson, was elected Chairman of Interpol by the 63rd General Assembly of this organisation in Rome, on 4 October. Eriksson succeeds Norman Inkster, a Canadian, in the office.
Although Mr. Eriksson will be Interpol's chair-man for a two year term, he does not intend to quit his job as a chief of the Swedish national police.
Eriksson said that, as chaiman, he had a chance to influence Interpol's agenda. "Interpol is the second largest organisation in the world, after the United Nations", he emphasised. "With 176 member states we can reach virtually every place on the globe with arrest requests or help with identification".
According to Eriksson, the development of international crime has increased the need for closer police co-operation beyond the borders.
Beyond Interpol's mere message-exchanging function, the new president intends to develop the organisation's capacities for analysing the development and the structures of crime. "We have started analysing phenomena such as the Russian mafia, the Italian mafia, motorcycle gangs and child pornography rackets. Here in Rome we have had extended discussion about how to deal with environmental crimes."
Eriksson also wishes to improve Interpol's ability to assist "colleagues in Africa, Asia and Latin America".
This year's Interpol congress called on member states to commit themselves to track down war criminals from former Yugoslavia. It was also decided that member countries should be required to include information on human rights in police training.
The assembly further decided to co-operate more closely with Europol.
Source: Dagens Nyheter, 5.10.94.