The World Cup will have the largest ever deployment of the
organization's officers at any global event, says the head of
Interpol.
Interpol secretary-general Ronald Noble said Wednesday that
20 to 25 countries would be providing manpower to support the South
African police, as well as additional officers from countries
sending teams to the tournament.
Noble was given a tour of security facilities at Johannesburg
and Durban airports on Wednesday by South Africa's Deputy Police
Commissioner, Andre Prius, to assess World Cup readiness.
Prius said Interpol officers and the South African Police
Service will form a fully integrated force to deal with all
security threats, including terrorism, organised crime and
hooliganism.
"Cooperation could not be stronger" between the two forces,
Noble said.
"At this stage, there is no indication of any direct threat
of terrorism against the event. Nobody can put any intelligence on
the table of any threat," said Pruis, adding that both
organisations will continue monitoring intelligence in the lead up
to the World Cup.
Ports of entry will be focal points for security services,
where passengers will be screened using Interpol databases
containing details of more than 11 million stolen passports, which
are often used for terrorism, organised crime and trafficking
purposes, Noble said.
Noble says technological advancements have also made mobile
spot checks of identities and fingerprints possible, and this would
be taking place at fan parks, stadiums and other World Cup venues.
It is also the first time that Interpol will generate
identity documents for individuals who have been deemed
"non-threatening," allowing police officers to focus their
attention elsewhere.
