Colombia’s national police chief, General Oscar Naranjo, was elected Thursday as Interpol’s new vice president for the Americas.
General Naranjo was appointed to the international policing organization at Interpol’s 80th General Assembly, which took place in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The decision to appoint Naranjo makes him one of 13 members of the executive committee belonging to the most important international police organization in the world.
The Interpol executive committee meets three times a year to set policies and courses in the fight against transnational crime, about which the Colombian police chief is considered one of the leading experts.
At this year’s General Assembly of Interpol, the various international police bodies decided to focus on the strengthening of measures to curb the trafficking of firearms and the proliferation of the illegal weapons trade.
In Colombia the issue of arms trafficking remains prevalent, with arms trafficking resulting in the deaths of 9,857 people in 2011. This represents a reduction of 6% on the previous year.
Interpol (whose full title is International Criminal Police Organization) is an organization facilitating international police cooperation.