As Interpol marks 100 years of existence Minister of Police leads SA police delegation to Interpol General Assembly in Austria
The South African Police Service (SAPS) is again meeting with its international counterparts to further toughen its fight against criminality, especially threats associated with cross border and organised crimes.
Police Minister, General Bheki Cele together with the National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola are on Tuesday 28 November 2023, leading a delegation of senior police officers at INTERPOL’s 91st General Assembly hosted in Vienna, Austria.
Vienna is the birthplace of INTERPOL and was formed in 1923, marking 100 years of existence.
The INTERPOL Annual General Assembly (AGM) is a platform for the 195 member countries, including South Africa, to craft major policy decisions. These decisions include amongst other things; information sharing and innovative interventions needed for the strengthening of cross border collaboration against crime.
The Police Ministry and SAPS management is well aware that organised crime doesn’t have respect for any borders, it is for this reason the South African delegation at the assembly consists of senior officers within the operational environments in the SAPS.
The high level delegation includes the Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) Lt General Godfrey Lebeya, Deputy National Commissioner for Crime Detection, Lt General Shadrack Sibiya, Head of Crime Intelligence, Lt General Dumisani Khumalo and the Director of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC), Brigadier Nilton Mendes. The TPC is responsible for the coordination of cross border and transnational operations; including take down operations of clandestine organised crime syndicates within the SADC region.
During the INTERPOL four day AGM, the SA delegation will form part of various open and closed plenary sessions and hold a series of bilateral discussions around pressing crime issues affecting South Africa but not unique to our shores.
Ministers, Police Chiefs of member countries, heads of National Central Bureaus (NCBs) and senior police officers from 195 countries, are attending the meeting hosted at the Austrian Convention Centre and it will conclude on the 1st of December 2023.
Media enquiries:
Lirandzu Themba
Police Ministry Spokesperson
082 604 9080
Brig Athlenda Mathe
SAPS National Sokesperson
082 040 8808
