Morocco hosts 47th Arab Police and Security Leaders Conference

The 47th Arab Police and Security Leaders Conference kicked off Wednesday in Tangier, with the participation of senior security officials.

This two-day meeting is attended by the Secretary General of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, the President of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the President of the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), and police and security leaders from twenty Arab countries as well as six regional and international organizations.

The 47th Arab Police and Security Leaders Conference is an opportunity to discuss various topics, including the use of modern technologies in the fight against terrorism and organized crime. Recommendations from the conferences of security leaders and committee meetings held within the framework of the General Secretariat during 2023 will also be examined at this conference.

Speaking at the opening session, Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, underlined that hosting this large-scale event in the Kingdom, in particular in the city of Tangier, reflects Morocco’s commitment to consolidating security in the Arab region and ensuring stability throughout the Arab world. He noted that holding this meeting comes at a time marked by the resurgence of several forms of cross-border crime in different countries around the world, and in a situation which remains open to numerous security challenges with the rise of the terrorist threat and its links with cross-border organized crime networks.

Hammouchi underlined that the greatest challenges facing the world today are those linked to the expansion of the terrorist threat, due to the emergence of regional groupings of terrorist organizations, particularly in the Sahel-Sahara countries.

The Arab region is also confronted with increasing flows of irregular migrants as part of organized criminal networks, which often infiltrate checkpoints at the national borders of States, in addition to the increasing risks linked to challenges posed by drug and psychotropic substance trafficking networks, particularly with the proliferation of many synthetic drugs which push many users to commit violent crimes, he added.

In this regard, Hammouchi noted that security services have noted, during the post-Covid phase, an increase in cybercrime indicators and the proliferation of fraud and cyber-extortion cases, which constitutes a serious threat for national economies, the security of countries and the personal data of citizens, with the emergence of numerous complex crimes. He stressed in this context the need to form a joint security front to fight the terrorist threat and criminal networks, to eradicate rear training bases, to dry up financing sources, and to fight the refuges of criminal networks.

Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of the issues covered during this conference, which make the connection between the security aspect and the need to coordinate efforts and exchange experiences, in order to ensure an effective fight and a resolute response to all phenomena and the use of new technologies in terrorist operations, as well as the humanitarian dimension, through the integration of a coordination mechanism between Arab countries, which reflects the particular interest granted by security institutions to their human resources, given that they constitute the spearhead of the success of a security policy and an effective capital to promote the social role of the police and allow it to optimally exercise its security missions in the service of the nation and citizens.

He affirmed that Morocco attaches great importance to the success of this meeting, being aware of the importance of an Arab security front capable of confronting the regional proliferation of security risks in the Arab world, and of the imperative of coordination with global and regional security organizations participating in the conference, to strengthen global security.

The Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance also reiterated Morocco’s commitment to supporting Arab and international cooperation and strengthening mechanisms to combat terrorism and different forms of organized crime.

At the start of this meeting, Hammouchi presented to the participants a video which highlights Morocco and its security forces as well as the various aspects of development and modernization in the Kingdom. This video was broadcast during the presentation of the Moroccan candidacy to host the 93rd session of the General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), which will be held in Marrakech in 2025.

For his part, Secretary General of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, Mohammed Ben Ali Koman, expressed his sincere thanks and deep gratitude to King Mohammed VI for his sustained efforts in the service of Arab issues and the strengthening of international peace and security and for the continued attention paid by the Sovereign to joint Arab action in security issues.

Ben Ali Koman stressed that the choice of Morocco to host the 93rd session of the General Assembly of Interpol is a recognition of the distinguished place that the Kingdom occupies today, a country endowed with all the necessary equipment and infrastructure to ensure the success of large-scale events.

He also noted that the organization of this conference in Tangier will help strengthen the position of the Arab world in international police cooperation.

He pointed out that Morocco’s organization of the 2030 World Cup, alongside Spain and Portugal, reflects the trust in its national authorities, which will certainly contribute to strengthening the radiant image of Arab countries.

For his part, Interpol President, Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi, praised the sustained development of Morocco as well as the efficiency and professionalism of its security institutions which make the Kingdom a haven of security and peace and a reliable partner in the efforts to build a more secure and stable world.

This conference was marked by a presentation on the Moroccan experience in the fight against cybercrime, with focus on the legal and regulatory framework and the mechanisms for combating this crime. In a similar presentation, the Qatari security delegation highlighted Qatar’s experience in organizing and securing the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

During the conference first day, Ben Ali Koman presented the recommendations of the 47th Arab Police and Security Leaders Conference and revealed the list of countries which won the prize for the best awareness-raising films, produced by security institutions and departments as part of their communications and humanitarian missions.

The Kingdom of Morocco, represented by the DGSN, won the prize for the best awareness-raising film in the field of societal policing, after presenting an institutional video highlighting the sacrifices made by the police during assistance and relief efforts carried out following Al Haouz earthquake.

Organized by Morocco, represented by the General Directorate for National Security (DGSN), in partnership with the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers, this event brings together representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS)…

Besides Morocco, the conference is attended by most Arab countries, including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Comoros Islands, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania and Yemen.