India on Interpol 1997

October 15, 1997

A commemorative postage stamp on the 66^th General Assembly Session of the International Criminal Police Organisation (ICPO) :

Issued by India

Issued on Oct 15, 1997

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a special stamp to mark the 66^th General Assembly Session of Interpol.

Credits :
Stamp, FDC : Interpol Conference Secretariat, New Delhi.

Type : Stamp, Postal Used

Colour : Multicolor

Denomination : 400 Paise

Overall size : 3.91 x 2.90 cms.

Printing Size : 3.55 x 2.54 cms.

Perforation : 13 x 13

Paper : Imported un w/m Adhesive Gravure Coated Stamp Paper

Stamps Printed : 0.7 Million

Number per issue sheet : 35

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nasik

About :

‘INTERPOL’ is the acronym for the International Criminal Police Organisation (ICPO) and has its General Secretariat in Lyons, France. The aim of the Organisation is to promote the widest possible co-operation among its member countries in the suppression of ordinary law crime. It is the largest police organisation in the world, having a present membership of 177 countries. Using the Interpol channels, the member countries extend co-operation among themselves on criminal matters while staying within the limits of their own national laws. For day-to-day co-operation every member country has a National Central Bureau (NCB) which acts as interface between its own police forces and the NCBs of other member countries. The NCBs are the real arms of Interpol.
The Interpol also plays a key role in the modernisation of police the world over and acts indirectly as an international police research centre.
The General Assembly of Interpol meet once a year and is the most powerful body of the Organisation. The 66^th General Assembly Session of Interpol was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi from 15^th to 21^st October, 1997. India was hosting a General Assembly Session for the first time even though we became a member of Interpol in 1949. In 1994, India had hosted the 13^th Asian Regional Conference of Interpol in New Delhi.
A report on the financial position of the Organisation and draft budget are always presented to the General Assembly. The General Assembly may also discuss matters such as admission of new members, developmental schemes of the Organisation, International and regional police co-operation, ways and means to fight international crime such as Organised Crime, Money Laundering, Counterfeiting of Currencies, counterfeiting of travel documents etc.
With the process of economic liberalisation gathering momentum, India will also become vulnerable to a spate of newer breeds of international economic crime. There would perhaps not have been a more opportune time for India to host a General Assembly of Interpol. The benefits are twofold. On the one hand, it will sensitize the Indian Police about the various services available through the Interpol, while on the other, it will send out a message to the international policing community that India is keen to co-operate in the international effort to fight trans-border crime.
Write up : Interpol Conference Secretariat, New Delhi.