South Africa has been elected to be one of the 13 countries which form the Executive Committee of the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL). The voting took place during the Interpol’s General Assembly which was held from the 2nd to the 5th November 2015 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Over 190 countries voted in favour of South Africa, making us the sole African country to be the member of the committee. The South African delegation in the executive committee will be headed by Brigadier Anbuen Naidoo for the coming three years. Brigadier Naidoo is also the Head of the Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB).

The NCB, which is situated in Pretoria, has just recently been incorporated into the Directorate For Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) and will now report directly to the National Head of the DPCI Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza.

The NCB is set to be staffed by highly trained police under the command and control of the DPCI which links the South African Police Service (SAPS) to global law enforcement agencies.

The Minister of Police SAPS Mr Nkosinathi Nhleko said the South African Police Service continues to play a leading role in international policing. He said the knowledge and skills that reside within the SAPS has contributed significantly in the fight against cross-border crimes and that South Africa’s good relations with fellow African States resulted in the country being afforded an opportunity to represent the interests of the African continent on an international platform.

“South Africa is humbled by the vote of confidence shown by fellow members of Interpol in the continent. We commit to using this position to promote the interests of the continent in the global fight against international organized crime. We appreciate that this fight must have a global face and Interpol is that face. The Hawks’ leading role will strengthen South Africa’s footprint in building criminal databases and cooperating with other international policing agencies on cross border investigations, operations and arrests”, said Minister of Police Mr Nkosinathi Nhleko

The Executive Committee, which is made of 13 members consisting of the president, three vice presidents and nine delegates representing the organisation’s four regions, namely Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe; hold its meeting three times a year to deliberate on organizational policy, guidance and direction. The executive members are generally elected on a three-year mandate.

The Executive Committee is an elective body responsible for complying with the resolutions of the General Assembly, by which it supervises the execution of the decisions of the assembly.

Enquiries: Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi – 0823732408