Washington, DC - Newly elected Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock visited the Interpol Washington office. While at the agency, Dr. Stock addressed Interpol Washington staff, highlighting the role effective information sharing can play via the world police body’s tools and resources and underscoring that the key to the organization’s strength lies in collaboration with Interpol’s 189 other member countries.

Dr. Stock also emphasized the importance of defining Interpol’s core capabilities. After his remarks, the Secretary General toured the office, visiting with analysts in Interpol Washington’s 24/7 Interpol Operations and Command Center (IOCC) and meeting with Interpol Washington’s senior staff.

Prior to his visit at Interpol Washington, the Secretary General presented at a ministerial session during the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism. The meeting was organized by the U.S. Department of State and attended by Secretary of State John Kerry, Attorney General Eric Holder and Assistant Attorney General John Carlin. In his address, Dr. Stock underlined the effectiveness of Interpol’s Foreign Terrorist Fighter program to deter the movements of foreign fighters. The program represents the third pillar of President Barack Obama’s National Security Strategy and was lauded as a critical component in the fight against transnational crime in the United Nations’ Security Council Resolution 2178. The program has over 40 participating countries which share information on more than 1,500 suspected and confirmed fighters linked to Syria and Iraq. Foreign fighters may seek to travel with revoked passports, stolen or lost passports, or simply their own valid travel documents. In the first two cases, Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Document database can make this information available at the frontlines. In cases where the individual’s valid passport information has been shared, Interpol global tools will generate hit alarms.