Thursday, November 9, 2023, took place the signing of the Treaty for the Constitution of the Police Community of America (Ameripol), an organization for police cooperation on the American continent, which will act in a similar way to Interpol. Although Ameripol has existed since 2007 and is made up of 30 countries, it is now formalized by a legal constitution. Ameripol headquarters will be in Bogota (Colombia)

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Dominican Republic and Uruguay have approved the document. The United States and Canada are not included.

Flávio Dino, the Brazilian Minister of Justice, stressed that Ameripol would focus on the Internet to curb the actions of criminal organizations. "Transnational cooperation is not a choice, it is an imposition," he said during the ceremony in Brasilia.

According to Andrei Rodrigues, Director General of the Brazilian Federal Police, Ameripol is becoming the third largest police bloc in the world, behind Interpol and Europol.

The new treaty allows for the exchange of information, the creation of joint investigation teams and agreements with other international police blocs, such as Interpol, in the fight against transnational organized crime.

Rodrigues, the new Secretary General of Ameripol, also noted that there are plans to create anti-drug units and other teams to combat human trafficking and immigrant smuggling in Brazil and Colombia, respectively, a human rights office, which would be created in December and a virtual network against terrorism, violent radicalism and hate crimes.

The Police Chief also said that the organization "will provide all countries and police forces on our continent with the legal basis, technological capacity and operational means necessary to combat transnational organized crime and terrorism."

The interim President of Ameripol, the Argentinian Andrés Severino, stressed that the exchange of information will be essential to transcend cultural and geographical differences and guarantee the integration of the countries' security forces.

SL/ HaitiLibre