Mercenaries training US local police a new trend

[vector7]

Mercenaries training US local police a new trend

August 3, 7:37 AMLaw Enforcement ExaminerJim Kouri



There are many police and law enforcement officials who are concerned with the growing trend of using military-experienced mercenaries to train and work with local police officers in the United States, but there are many who believe the events of September 11, 2001 dictate the need for this new paradigm.

For example, Kentucky’s Lexington Police Department contracted Blackwater Security International to provide what’s described as homeland security training. Meanwhile that city’s Mayor Jim Newberry and its chief of police Anthony Beatty refused free training provided by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement federal program that prepares police officers to enforce immigration and border security as part of their duties.

Lexington is on the nation’s list of so-called Sanctuary Cities in which police officers are prohibited from working with ICE or Border Patrol agents in the United States. Critics are angry over the use of local tax dollars to hire Blackwater personnel to train the police.

But Lexington isn’t the only city using hired guns to help local police officers. In New Orleans, heavily armed operatives from the Blackwater private security firm, infamous for their work in Iraq, are openly patrolling the streets of that beleaguered city.



Some of the mercenaries were reportedly “deputized” by the Louisiana governor and were issued gold Louisiana State law enforcement badges to wear on their chests and Blackwater photo identification cards to be worn on their arms.

While they are working in Louisiana, Blackwater officials say they are on contract with the Department of Homeland Security and have been given the authority to use lethal force if necessary. Some of the mercenaries assigned to patrol the streets of New Orleans recently returned from Iraq, where they provided personal security details for the former head of the US occupation, L. Paul Bremer, and the former US ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte.

Blackwater, which is based in North Carolina, is one of the leading private security companies providing security personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Along with other companies such as Wackenhut Security, Inc., it has several lucrative US government contracts and provides security services — including bodyguard work — for many senior US diplomats, foreign dignitaries and corporations.

The company received international exposure when several of its security officers were captured, tortured and killed in Fallujah; two of their charred bodies were hung from a bridge in March 2004.

Although many politicos are saying Blackwater is not performing police functions, their own statement seems to imply that they will provide whatever services a government — federal, state and local — desires.

“

Man-made and natural disasters require an immediate robust response.

Blackwater Worldwide’s extensive training facility and staff of former military and law enforcement professionals can provide the needed training and operational expertise to prepare security teams to effectively support state and federal emergency response units,” according to Blackwater’s mission statement.

“I’m troubled by the use of military personnel — whether they be US soldiers or private mercenaries — performing a police or law enforcement function. While they may be experts in fighting wars, they are not constrained by the US Constitution as to how they operate as cops,” said former NYPD detective and owner of FLT Security Services, Sid Frances.

“Soldiers are soldiers and cops are cops. What’s next? Using smart bombs to crash into drug dens?” he asked.

Since its inception in 2003, the US Department of Homeland Security has faced significant challenges related to recruiting, retaining, and managing its workforce of over 170,000 employees.

Recently, the US Congress requested the Government Accountability Office to analyze DHS’s attrition, efforts to recruit and retain staff, use of external employees such as officers from private companies, and compliance with certain provisions of the Vacancies Reform Act, which requires agencies to report to Congress and the Comptroller General vacancies in certain presidentially-appointed positions requiring Senate confirmation.



While DHS’s overall attrition rate for permanent employees (excluding those in the Senior Executive Service and presidential appointments) declined from 8.4 percent in 2005 to 7.1 percent in 2006.

These rates, which were still above the roughly 4 percent average rate for all cabinet-level agencies, were affected by high levels of attrition (about 14-17 percent) among transportation security officers at DHS’s Transportation Security Administration. With the security officers excluded, DHS’s attrition rate was 3.3 percent.

DHS implemented agreements under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act, allowing nonfederal employees — private contractors — to be temporarily assigned to a federal agency to meet mission needs.

[American Patriot]

Wow.....


Security guards... rent-a-cops??? Policing areas now?

Hmmm they have no more authority than anyone else with a gun in my opinion.

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What is the American Police Force and what is it doing in Montana?



A secretive California outfit called the American Police Force is taking over the 2-year-old, never-used prison in Hardin, Mont., that was briefly considered a possible spot for Guantanamo prisoners.



The story has many twists and turns. We recommend you read The Billings Gazette article for a primer on the story. KULR TV, of Billings, Mont., The Missoulian, and Talking Points Memo are also on the case.APF's website, which has been periodically unavailable (click here for a recent cache of their site), says it "leverages the talent and expertise of their extensive global network to provide local, regional, and national security solutions to the United States Government and other clients who are in need of customized private investigative services."

Here's its website pitch:

Whether you are suspicious about a cheating spouse or concerned about a personal threat, APF's team will employ their experience to fulfill your domestic investigation needs.

In one odd twist, Becky Shay, a reporter for the Billings Gazette who has reported extensively on the Hardin Prison, quit her job and is now a spokeswoman for the group in Hardin. Except that she now mainly has "no comment" when pressed about what is going on.

Some other unusual wrinkles:

-- Mercedes SUVs belonging to APF began showing up recently in town with magnetic decals that said "City of Hardin Police Department," but later removed them.

-- APF, which has mentioned using the facility for military training, refuses to offer any specifics until after a contract to take over the prison is signed.

-- Albert Peterson, vice-president of Hardin's tax-supported economic development arm that built the prison two years ago says people will be "shocked" when they learn the high-quality of the person who will be running the operation, The Gazette reports. "I did my background checks and my homework, and they're legit," he said, but won't reveal the name.

--Peterson says APF hopes to begin filling the prisoner with inmates early next year, but neither he nor APF will say where the prisoners are coming from.

-- The Gazette quotes local officials as saying "they have reason to believe" that APF is a spinoff of a "much larger security company that has contracts around the world."

-- Montana Rep. Bob Ebinger has joined other lawmakers in seeking questions from Hardin officials about the unusual deal. "Always when things are secretive, you end up getting everybody — on both the right and the left — making suppositions about what's going on," Ebinger, a Democrat, tells the Great Falls Tribune.

--- But KULR says APF's founder, Michael Hilton, has a extensive criminal record and has "spent six years in a California prison." The Missoulian says court records show he also uses the aliases Midrag Ilia Dokovitch, Midrag Ilia Dokovich and Michael Miodrag.

-- And, for what it's worth, the APF logo is almost identical to the symbol on the state flag of Serbia.

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APF modifies name, changes logo
Posted: Oct 5, 2009 06:53 AM
Updated: Oct 5, 2009 04:40 PM

In the latest twist of events, the American Police Force has modified its name on its website.

Formerly seen as "American Police Force," visitors to the website will now read, "America n Private Police Force."

According to the company's spokeswoman, Becky Shay, the company's official name has always been "American Private Police Force Organization."

"That's how it's incorporated in California," explains Shay.
Shay also says "APF" has become the common acronym for the company because it's shorter and easier.

But, the modified name isn't the only change on the site's homepage. The site now boasts a new crest in blue with a touch of red and features a double-headed eagle.

APPF has received criticism for displaying a similar crest, which was yellow and red. Critics say the old crest looked like the Serbian Coat of Arms.

Shay says Captain Michael Hilton, the face of the California-based company, redesigned the website because there are many positive and negative political affiliations to the old crest.

"It was the quickest way to ease tensions they're under right now," Shay explains.

Official documents say that Hilton is a naturalized citizen from Montenegro and that's where he drew his inspiration for APPF's crest.

APPF is in negotiation to take over the empty Two Rivers Detention Center in Hardin.

Two Rivers Authority is meeting Monday afternoon to finalize the contract.

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Scrubbed: APF Web Page That Claimed Ownership Of Blackwater Training Center Now Reads 'ETA Spring 2010'

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 12:31PM



We knew that American Police Force, the shadowy private security company that has taken over an empty jail in a small Montana town, has a history of making outlandish and flat-out bogus claims. And it now appears that the company is taking some of the criticism to heart.
The firm, which is now calling itself American Private Police Force (feel better?), has toned down -- ever so slightly -- some of its colorful Web site's claims. (Old version here, current version here.)

APPF has deleted a reference to a training facility which it had earlier claimed to control, but which is in fact owned by Xe, aka Blackwater,
As of the middle of last week a "Special Forces Training" page on the site read:

"Our extensive tactical firearms training facility, the U.S. Training Center is capable of providing a wide range of instruction and training ..."
The U.S. Training Center is, of course, a non-phantasmagoric facility in Moyock, North Carolina, run by Xe.

That same APPF page now reads:
"Our extensive tactical firearms training facility (ETA Spring 2010) will be capable of providing a wide range of instruction and training ... "
See the before and after screen captures right here.

Also gone are a reference to "kidnappings and ransoms for ransom" services and a weapons sales page that advertised "Nuclear/Biological/Chemical WMDs" for sale (international clients only!).

Still offered by APPF: covert pregnancy testing, security for convoys in Pakistan, and access to a "vast network of senior government officials both domestic and international."

Gone is that red-and-white double-headed eagle Serbian coat of arms -- in favor of a 3D blue double-headed eagle coat of arms.

As for the "U.S. Training Center" page, Xe had denied to TPMmuckraker any affiliation with APPF when we asked them about this reference last week.

Xe spokeswoman Stacy DeLuke told us today she has fielded a steady stream of calls inquiring about APPF and complained that any negative news in the industry gets dumped in her company's lap. She said Xe employees were gathering facts about APPF.

"It's bizarre," DeLuke says. "They have nothing to do with us. We have nothing to do with them."

We've left a message asking about the changes for APPF spokeswoman Becky Shay, whose voicemail still refers to "American Police Force."
Late Update: KULR in Billings quotes Shay saying that APPF official Michael Hilton changed the company logo because it was

"the quickest thing he could to diffuse tension" with the old logo. She would not elaborate on exactly what those tensions were.

KULR previously reported that Serbian officials were looking into legal action over APPF's use of the the coat of arms.

And Shay told a Montana CBS affiliate that American Private Police Force has always been the company's official name.

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APF Deal Let Shady Firm Provide Law Enforcement For Hardin

Zachary Roth | October 5, 2009, 4:57PM



The news that a mysterious private security contractor has been hired to take control of a prison in the tiny Montana town of Hardin has set off some outlandish conspiracy theories -- like the notion that the deal represents the first wave of President Obama's plan to "have all major cities locked down" by the end of October.

But one related concern -- that the contractor, now calling itself the American Private Police Force, could take over law enforcement duties for Hardin -- turns out not to be far-fetched at all. Indeed, the agreement that APPF -- at the time known simply as American Police Force (APF) -- signed with city's economic development arm, the Two Rivers Authority (TRA), specifically provides for that possibility.

The notably bare-bones contract -- just 11 pages covering a deal to operate a prison -- was obtained last month by the Billings Gazette. It states:

[APPF] shall have the option to enter into a separate agreement with TRA for the purpose of constructing a law enforcement training center on the premises of the Two Rivers Detention Center and/or to provide additional law enforcement services to the TRA and/or the City of Hardin. (our itals)

For years, Hardin has been embroiled in a dispute with Big Horn County over its desire to provide its own law enforcement services, rather than relying on the county sheriff's office.

Around the same time last month that the contract was made public, the Gazette's Becky Shay -- now, after an abrupt career switch, APPF's beleaguered public relations rep -- reported:

[Company official Michael] Hilton said APF has proposed that, if Hardin creates a police department, the company would provide the initial officers and hire a local chief of police. APF has already purchased Mercedes vehicles that are being outfitted and will be available for patrol cars, Hilton said. The training center also could provide some officers to support the city, he said.

Soon after, APPF officials rolled into Hardin in those Mercedes vehicles -- SUVs, in fact -- sporting logos that said "City of Hardin Police Department." After that sparked concern among some residents, both the company and the TRA appeared to backtrack in their public statements, downplaying APPF's ambitions to take over law enforcement, and focusing exclusively on the prison project.

In other words, it was not far-fetched to imagine that a shady security contractor with a history of criminal fraud and alcoholism, who has released scant information about his company's background, could have been put in charge of a town's law enforcement operations.
That may be the scariest point of all in this entire episode.

[vector7]

Mysterious security group in Montana tweaks its name



Last week, we had a couple of postings (click here and here) about the American Police Force, a secretive California security group, that was close to finalizing a deal to take over operation of a never-used jail in Hardin, Mont.

They alarmed some local folks by driving around, at least for awhile, in a car with decals saying "City of Hardin Police Department."

The Montana attorney general is now investigating the group and the deal to take over the jail.

Not a lot new to add, but we thought you might like to know that the APF has now changed its name to the American Private Police Force.

Click here for their new and improved website.

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APF attorney is Iranian!


http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0623/p02s01-usgn.html

APPF Lawyer Who Said Info Would 'Gradually Be More Clear' Quits

Justin Elliott | October 5, 2009, 3:35PM


Attorney Maziar Mafi

Maziar Mafi, the California lawyer who had been variously identified as American Private Police Force's legal affairs director, president, and a "major" in the company, on Friday severed his ties to the Hardin, MT, jail project until he sees "more concrete action."

Mafi's practice, like APPF, is based in Santa Ana, California. As a specialist in personal injury, immigration, and business law, he had seemed an odd choice of counsel for a firm that claims to play a critical role in filling the United States government's "homeland security needs."

Mafi told the AP: "For the time, I'm pulling out. I need to see more concrete action before I can be involved."

And the AP observes that APPF official 'Captain' Michael Hilton misrepresented Mafi's role in the organization:

Hilton, who claims an extensive military background and uses the title "captain," initially described Mafi as a "major" in American Police Force. He later said Mafi was the company's president--although Mafi denied the role and said he had no military or security background.

The AP quoted Mafi in the middle of September describing the company was a "as a fledgling spin-off of a major security firm founded in 1984." Declining to name the firm in question, he said at the time: "It will gradually be more clear as things go along."

Clearly, that did not happen to Mafi's satisfaction.

Contacted by TPMmuckraker today, Mafi declined to comment about his relationship with APPF or about whether he's still confident in his description of APPF's parent company. APPF spokeswoman Becky Shay has not returned calls for comment.

The APPF project may have done more than damage merely Mafi's reputation: he also "guaranteed the Sept. 10 purchase of two Mercedes SUVs by Hilton," the AP reports. Those would be the SUVs that drove into town late last month bearing "City Of Hardin Police Department" decals.

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Private Police Force or Fraud?

| Print |

E-mail

Written by Alex Newman

Monday, 05 October 2009 07:34

When suspicious looking Mercedes SUVs sporting City of Hardin Police Department decals rolled into a small Montana town called Hardin, some residents became alarmed. The town doesn’t actually have a police force. It turns out the fake law-enforcement vehicles came from a mysterious company called American Police Force, now known as American Private Police Force (APPF). It had recently negotiated a contract with local authorities to fill a $27 million prison that has been unused so far, a prison that briefly received national attention when it was suggested as a location for Guantanamo detainees. But the contract has aroused deep suspicion. Nobody seems to know where the almost 500 prisoners to fill the prison will be coming from, and the company isn’t talking. U.S. Bank, which helped finance the construction of the prison, has not signed off on the deal yet. And it gets murkier. APPF representatives have discussed plans to open a $17 million live-fire training center next to the jail. The company also announced its intention to bring 200 jobs, an animal shelter, free medical care, and other benefits to local residents. It is reportedly interested in providing law enforcement for the town as well, with discussions between local officials and the company still underway. The firm’s website boasts of services provided in all 50 states and most international countries; services like “local, regional, and national security solutions” for customers like the U.S. government and others. According to the site, they also offer everything from police and security training, special forces training, fugitive recovery, and convoy security to “Check Your Mate” cheating spouse investigations. Battling transnational terrorists is apparently one of the firms’ specialties. But an extensive investigation by the Associated Press (AP) using government databases revealed no government contracts with the company. Reporters also spoke to officials and people in the defense contracting industry, none of whom had heard of the California-based APPF. The Washington, D.C., address provided by the firm turned out to be a “virtual” office — allowing the use of the address without actually occupying the premises. The leasing company said APPF’s application, however, had never even been finished. Other oddities have also emerged in recent days. One of the subcontractors named by APPF has denied any involvement with the company. APPF’s lawyer of one month just cut ties to the firm, citing a lack of progress. The company spokesperson, a former reporter with the Billings Gazette who just took the job, hosted a press conference where she cried repeatedly. Company officials have claimed that the firm is a spin-off of a larger defense contractor, but have offered no specifics. There are also no details about how the firm intends to finance the deal, its history or its alleged staff of high-level officers and experts. The apparent founder and lead figure of the company, “Captain” Michael Hilton, claimed to be a military veteran with experience advising forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He showed up to the town wearing a military-style uniform. But according to the Associated Press, the Montenegro native is in fact a convicted felon with a history of fraud who spent years in a California prison for grand theft. He has used at least 17 different aliases and has over a million dollars in outstanding civil judgments against him. “Hilton was described alternately by those who know him as an arts dealer, cook, restaurant owner, land developer, loan broker and car salesman — always with a moneymaking scheme in the works,” reported the AP after interviewing people who knew him, noting that they were unaware of his alleged military experience. Now, the company is being investigated by Montana’s Attorney General. Citing concerns over the legitimacy of APPF, he is demanding proof of some of its claims. He also ordered local officials to present all documents related to their dealings with the company. And state lawmakers want answers now too. Most local officials are still defending the decision to contract the firm, but criticism and suspicion is continuing to mount. "I don't know that his background has affected his position or his ability to do his work," explained Hardin City Council member Carla Colstad. "I don't consider it relevant to what's going on today." Rumors and hysteria about the company and the deal have grown to a blaze on the Internet, with stories about road-blocks and privatized martial law abounding. The AP reported that the APPF masquerading as the city’s police has “stirred suspicion among critics that rural Hardin, population 3,500, could be transformed into a privately run police state.” Some reports based on circumstantial evidence have attempted to link APPF with well-known defense contractor Blackwater, now called Xe. The town’s taxpayer-funded economic development authority posted a message on its website trying to dispel concerns. “We welcome anyone to visit our town! There are no commandos in the streets. There is no fence or gate being built around Hardin. People are free to come and go as they please. APF is not running our town or our police force,” it said. The governor of Montana ridiculed the idea of a secret government plot, saying: "I think a low-level card shark is not going to rise to the level to get some kind of government defense contract." Hilton is supposed to return to Hardin next week for a job fair. The town has received significant media attention over the episode, which will likely continue to intensify until the truth finally comes out. But no matter what information ultimately gets out, it likely won’t be good for the town or the company’s images.

[zenbudda]

i heard about this on talk radio today and decided to research it. why isn't this BIG news? i'm concerned.

[vector7]

i heard about this on talk radio today and decided to research it. why isn't this BIG news? i'm concerned.

Thankfully the story is winding down.

Handing a private security company owned by a Serbian with rap sheet and paramilitary foreigners an empty prison is strange, but talking about allowing them access to perform local law enforcement is even stranger.

The real question everyone is looking for is who gave APF access to the prison higher up the food chain?

http://www.politicalfriendster.com/s...=3464&id2=2599

Wackenhut is a joint venture partner along with MPRI, Kellogg Brown and Root and AGS in the civilian police training company Civilian Police International, LLC which is under a State Department contract for $1.6 billion to work with the Civilian Police and Rule of Law office in coordination with the United Nations training emerging police forces around the world.

Yes that does say Civilian Police International LLC as in Obama's 'Civilian National Security Force'

We have been focusing on civilians, as in "Americans" to fill this role.

Maybe the Left has really been looking beyond our borders toward something more International with military experience.

A force no longer bound to our Constitution or Bill of Rights, able to achieve and execute difficult orders and national security objectives that fundamentally will transform America.

"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set.

We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

[vector7]

Hardin Montana ~ Glenn Beck investigates the American Private Police Force

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This just popped up on the radar although not directly tied to our Law Enforcement...yet.

Who knows what this administration is capable of if many of our cities become bankrupt?

The Russians are to now take on larger roles in Iraq. How much of role did this Administration concede in giving them there?

Russian Mercs: We’ll Out-Blackwater Blackwater

• By Nathan Hodge
• October 7, 2009 |
• 3:03 pm |
• Categories: Iraq, Military Life, Rogue States, Russia

The “Baghdad bubble” for private security firms may have burst long ago, but a company based in Russia still wants a piece of the action.

That, at least, is how satellite channel Russia Today presents the Oryol anti-terror center, a group of former Russian soldiers who want to give Blackwater Xe a run for their money in Iraq. Has anyone mentioned to these guys that Blackwater is on the way out? It’s always worth watching Russia Today for laughs — and to remind ourselves how Al-Hurra probably looks like to Arab audiences.

Plenty of Russians, in fact, are already “on the circuit” in Iraq. Back in 2005, I even spent time on the road in Baghdad with a team of ex-soldiers from the former Soviet Union. They were employed by Erinys, a British private security firm. The team leader was French; the management was British and South African; the drivers and shooters were from post-Soviet militaries. They were all experienced soldiers, although the country manager noted one slight problem: “On contact, everyone reverts to their native language.”

Russia Today describes the Oryol anti-terror center as a kinder, more culturally sensitive alternative to other security firms.

“Before we send people there, we put them through some serious training,” says Sergey Epishkin, the head of the center. “This includes psychological training and an educational program. In our classes, we even speak the way they speak in this particular region. If you can’t master local slang, you can run into a serious trouble sometimes.”

Operators from Oryol provide protective services for Russian engineers and businessmen working in Iraq. Epishkin even offers a few insights into how they operate.

“We establish a good relationship not only with the Americans and the British, but with the Iraqi police and National Guard as well,” he explains. “To be frank with you, even with opposition forces. In such a region, it is important to find a common language with people.”

ALSO:

• $6 Billion on Iraq Mercs is Just the Start
• Blackwater Mercs Staying in Iraq; Will Hillary Keep ‘Em Elsewhere …
• Whistleblowers vs. the 101st Tequila Brigade
• Lethal Cocktail: Vodka, Guns and Contractors
• Mercs Gone Wild at U.S. Embassy Kabul
  
• Diplomatic Security: Time for Some Adult Supervision
• Party House, Prostitutes and Profiteering in Iraq

[vector7]

Umm, this is disturbing.

Just in case you forgot who Ronald K. Noble was:

Noble, who is known as “The Enforcer,” has been instrumental in working with Chinese authorities to provide policing in the Communist country for major national events.

However, his most notorious role was as Undersecretary for Enforcement of the United States Department of the Treasury, diminishing the actions of the BATF following the federal government’s siege on the Branch Davidian compound at Waco which killed 76 people including more than 20 children and two pregnant women in April 1993.

As Carol Moore writes, “Noble had approved the decision to go ahead with the raid,” and therefore, “had little interest in issuing a report that either would challenge significantly the BATF’s investigation or modus operandi or would admit these led to crimes against the Davidians.”

Ronald K Noble is now the first American to head the International Police Organization, with more than 187 participating member nations.

Interpol and U.N. Back ‘Global Policing Doctrine’

By DOREEN CARVAJAL
Published: October 11, 2009



PARIS — Interpol and the United Nations are poised to become partners in fighting crime by jointly grooming a global police force that would be deployed as peacekeepers among rogue nations riven by war and organized crime, officials from both organizations say.

On Monday, justice and foreign ministers from more than 60 countries, including the United States and China, are gathering in Singapore for a meeting hosted by the two international organizations.

It is the first step toward creating what Interpol calls a “global policing doctrine” that would enable Interpol and the United Nations to improve the skills of police peacekeepers, largely by sharing a secure communications network and a vast electronic trove of criminal information, including DNA records, fingerprints, photographs and fugitive notices.

“We have a visionary model,” said Ronald K. Noble, secretary general of Interpol and the first American to head the international police organization, which is based in Lyon. More than 187 member nations finance the organization.

“The police will be trained and equipped differently with resources,” Mr. Noble said. “When they stop someone, they will be consulting global databases to determine who they are stopping.”

Modern peacekeeping has evolved dramatically since the blue-helmeted U.N. military force won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1988. Since 2005, the number of police officers within the total force of 95,400 peacekeepers has more than doubled from about 6,000 to 12,200 in 17 countries.

-snip-

With the meeting of justice ministers on Monday, which coincides with a general assembly of Interpol police members, the group is expected to debate the global police issue and to craft a declaration that would lead to an action plan for international police peacekeeping within 12 months. [/b]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UN and Interpol Partner in “an Alliance of All Nations”

October 16, 2009

Officials of Interpol and the United Nations announced the two organizations will begin more closely collaborating in peacekeeping operations in nations ravaged and torn by war and organized crime. The declaration, which some are calling a clear move toward a global police force, occurred at Interpol’s 78th General Assembly, held in Singapore and attended by about 800 delegates from 187 member countries and the UN.

Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) Secretary General Ronald K. Noble described the partnership as “an alliance of all nations.”

Over 60 justice, interior and foreign affairs ministers, along with senior law enforcement officers from around the world, consented to Interpol’s involvement in UN efforts to strengthen the role of police forces to maintain law and order. The plan is expected to shift from peacekeeping to peace-building operations in countries in crisis. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in a video message, assured the gathering that the international organization fully supports the initiative.

During the meeting, participating governments, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and Interpol acknowledged that, in addition to military forces, international police peacekeeping is vital, especially in post-conflict zones.

Andrew Hughes, current head of the U.N.’s force of police officers explained in The New York Times that organized crime functions as would any other corporation. He called it “a business that looks for opportunity to expand their market enterprise…When you have a breakdown in police and courts and corrections, organized crime is ripe,” which “gives birth to the toxic effect of corruption” and makes it “difficult to build a functioning society.”

Clarifying his organization’s role in the alliance, Interpol’s Director of Legal Affairs, Joel Sollier, stated, “Interpol is not going to send troops out into the field here and there throughout the world. What Interpol is going to do is provide technical assistance, technical support” (AFP).

General Noble described the relationship in a statement: “In the framework of our partnership with the UN, Interpol will provide deployed police peacekeepers with access to the world’s only secure global police communications system; global police databases including names of criminals, fingerprints, DNA profiles, stolen passports, and stolen vehicles; and specialized investigative support in key crime areas, including fugitives, drugs, terrorism, trafficking in human beings and corruption.

Mr. Noble noted the alliance will make it possible for the UN to handle international conflicts and transnational crime much better by relying on Interpol’s resources.

The alliance, according to The New York Times, will favor recruiting women in particular, and will work toward increasing female UN force numbers to 20 percent. This includes new, all-female units like the soon-to-be-deployed group of 140 peacekeepers from Bangladesh. Mr. Hughes said the motivation for the new units was that “Many of the victims of atrocities are women, and they’ve had enough of men with guns and uniforms.”

During the next year, world leaders of the two international organizations are scheduled to draw up a plan of action to further solidify the partnership.