'INTERPOL' is the acronym for the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) and has its General Secretariat in Lyons, France. The aim of the Organization  is  to promote the widest possible co-operation among its member countries in the suppression of ordinary law crime. It is the largest police organization in the world, having a present membership of 177 countries. Using the Interpol channels, the members countries extend co­-operation among themselves on criminal matters while staying within the limits of their own national laws. For day-to-day co-operation every member country has a National Central Bureau (NCB) which acts as interface between its own police forces and the NCBs of other members countries. The NCBs are the real arms  of Interpol.

The Interpol also plays a key role in, the modernisation of police the world over and acts indirectly as an international police research centre.

The General Assembly of Interpol meets once a year and is the most powerful body of the Organization. The 66th General Assembly Session of Interpol will be held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi from 15th to 21st Oct. 1997. India is hosting a General Assembly Session for the first time even though we became a member of Interpol in 1949. In 1994, India had hosted the 13th Asian Regional Conference of Interpol in New Delhi.

A report on the financial position of the Organization and draft budget are always presented to the General Assembly. The General Assembly may also discuss matters such as admission of new members, developmental schemes of the Organization, International and regional police co-operation, ways and means to fight international crime such as  Organized Crime, Money Laundering, Counterfeiting of Currencies, counterfeiting of travel documents etc.

With the process of economic liberalization gathering momentum, India will also become vulnerable to a spate of newer breeds of international economic crime. There would perhaps not have been a more opportune time for India to host a General Assembly of Interpol.

The benefits are twofold. On the one hand, it will sensitize the Indian Police about the various services available through the Interpol, while on the other, it will send out a message to the international policing community that India is keen to co-operate  in the international effort to fight trans border crime.

The Department of Posts is happy to issue a special stamp to mark the 66th General Assembly Session of Interpol.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India