General Inspector Lucas Philippe, advisor on European and international affairs at the French National Police Directorate and one of the candidates for the presidency of the International Criminal Police Organization “Interpol”, said, “The most urgent priority for me, on the occasion of my candidacy for the presidency of this organization that is more than 100 years old, is to maintain these balances and bridges that exist between the member states of the organization.”
Speaking to the online newspaper Hespress on the sidelines of the 93rd Interpol General Assembly meeting in Marrakech on Monday, Philippe added, “One of my priorities, if elected by this assembly of police chiefs and heads of delegations, is to make Interpol more operational. This organization, with its current expansion, has many initiatives, but what we need today is structure and innovation, and to have a genuine culture of impact.”
The same French security official continued, saying: “For me, this involves working closely with police officers in the field, working on the daily details, involving everyone and leaving no one out, meaning practicing real police leadership, developing tools available to everyone, meaning continuing what we have been doing for years with innovation, but effective innovation supported by collective intelligence.”
The same spokesperson stressed “the importance of aligning the organization’s work with the risk map and focusing on modernization, as the current president has done so and accelerated the pace. Today, I believe there are structural workshops that bring everyone together, and everyone wants the same thing.”
One of the candidates for the presidency of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) also pointed to the importance of “finding smart coordination between the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the International Criminal Police Organization. We have common challenges and positive energy that must be structured and utilized, as Europe is one region among others for me. Therefore, Europe must communicate better with Africa, Africa must communicate better with Asia, and Asia with the Americas. That is, we need a comprehensive vision and local action as well.”
Regarding the Kingdom of Morocco hosting the regular meetings of the aforementioned international organization, the advisor for European and international affairs at the General Directorate of the French National Police affirmed that “Morocco is a country that combines tradition and modernity, and we have bilateral relations that have been further strengthened, and we have achieved joint successes, as we have worked together on topics such as the Olympic Games, combating terrorism, organized crime, and we also have very strong joint operations.”
He added: “For me, experiencing this event here has a great impact. I have even spoken in the Moroccan media about the Kingdom’s role in strengthening France’s security as well. Therefore, we want more, and for that to happen, choices must be made, and we have a comprehensive approach, that is, an operational approach and at the same time a strategic ambition.”
In response to a question from the newspaper about the prospects and future of security cooperation between Morocco and France, the same spokesperson affirmed that “police forces operate at the heart of security risks and threats, and when things become clear and defined, it becomes much easier to work together… I believe that when we build bridges of trust and information is known, controlled, and shared between the parties, we are more efficient and influential.”
Comptroller General Lucas Philippe stressed that “there is a friendship between France and Morocco that needs no comment, and we are judged by our actions. For me, to also be the ‘Moroccan candidate’ here is a strong signal. You can imagine the magnitude of the responsibility that then falls on me, to coordinate with all the actors at the bilateral and multilateral levels.”
