The close ties between the international police cooperation organization and its host country France were highlighted during a ceremony attended by the Mayor of Lyon, Gérard Collomb. The changes and progress made over the past 30 years were also pointed out as the Organization prepares to celebrate its centenary in 2023.
Mr Collomb said INTERPOL’s presence had made Lyon the world capital of police cooperation, building on an already rich and ancient history.
Over the past 30 years, the number of INTERPOL member countries has increased to 194 countries, compared with 150 in 1989. The Organization has also seen an explosion in the growth and use of its global police network.
Today, INTERPOL has 18 specialized databases containing more than 100 million police files, consulted some 230 times a second.
The Organization had 254 officials when it moved to Lyon, but today there are more than 1,000 members of staff representing 107 countries.
In 2018 alone, almost 9,000 people came to Lyon to attend one of the many conferences, operational meetings, training sessions and events organized that year by INTERPOL.
www.interpol.int
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