'Let us make September 11 a world day of remembrance to be recognized by all nations', Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said as Interpol’s 70th General Assembly Session opened in Budapest on Monday.

It would be a day to memorialize the thousands of citizens from over 80 countries who perished or suffered on that date and also to renew the sense of solidarity and make sure commitments made in the aftermath of the tragedy are indeed carried out. In view of those events we have now to act to make our citizens safer, led by police professionals of all nations, Mr. Noble continued.

500 senior police officials from 130 countries and representatives of many international organizations listened closely when Secretary General Noble sketched out Interpol’s future. The world changed on September 11 and so did Interpol, he said. Terrorists and international criminals must no more find weak links in the international chain of police intelligence communication.

Secretary General Noble proposed three new Interpol databases to help detect and prevent future terrorist attacks: an international database on stolen, counterfeit or forged identity documents, a database on dangerous weapons seized by the police, and an international arrest warrant database linking all countries’ lists of wanted fugitives.

He also suggested that Interpol take a leadership role in addressing the difficult problem of police corruption. It is important to note, he said, that the billions of dollars, pounds, marks and yen set aside for new programs to fight terrorism can be undermined by one single corrupt police official.

To carry out this challenging agenda Mr. Noble pledged that Interpol would be creative in establishing strong partnerships with both the public and private sector.