Gazette - Strengthening INTERPOL-UN Connections

NEWS NOTES

by Caroline Ross

There’s a new face at Interpol’s United Nations office in New York.

Harper Boucher, former D/Commr of the RCMP’s Atlantic Region, was appointed as the Special Representative of Interpol to the United Nations in April 2008. Boucher will spend the next three years working to strengthen communication and co-ordination between Interpol and the United Nations in areas of common concern, including terrorism, organized crime and trafficking in drugs, arms and human beings.

Interpol has police resources in 187 of the 192 UN member states, says Boucher Interpol can also leverage its I-24/7 information system and global databases such as the lost and stolen passports databank to support relevant UN efforts.

“The key is to determine where Interpol can play a greater role,” says Boucher. “I have to make sure we don’t breach the political side of the UN house, but we talk about operations — a very tactical approach to how we can help member states in terms of safety and security.”

Interpol’s UN office was established in 2004 and was previously headed by Dr. Ulrich Kersten, former president of the German Federal Criminal Police. Kersten’s legacy includes the Interpol–UN Special Notice to help enforce UN sanctions against terrorists and terrorist organizations.

Boucher is already moving forward on a number of promising initiatives, including a partnership with the UN Department of Peacekeeping to provide training and support for local police in conflict zones, and a project to build police capacity in countries that have identified gaps in implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.“

Transnational crime has progressed to a new form of geopolitics, with its own character, logic, structures and support systems,” says Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble. “The need for international co-operation has never been greater in dealing with this new reality, and it’s a challenge which the Interpol–UN partnership is ideally placed to meet.”

Boucher served 37 years with the RCMP and has significant experience in forging strategic partnerships with various levels of government.