Police Major. Gen. Bernard Banac has been named as one of the six-member International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Ad-Hoc Committee that is tasked to review recommendations passed during the 24th Asian Regional Conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Banac, the current head of the Directorate for Plans, will join representatives from China, India, Kazakhstan, New Zealand and UAE.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. led the Philippine delegation to the seven-day 24th Asian Regional Conference which ended on Feb. 11. Banac was part of the PNP delegation.
The Ad Hoc committee was created by the Interpol Board to review and provide specific suggestions on the topics discussed during the conference.
The Interpol aims to enable cross-border police cooperation and supports and assists all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is to prevent or combat international crime. Interpol has an objective to facilitate international police cooperation even where diplomatic relations are not present between certain countries.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. said the Philippine police force will benefit from the Interpol's Global Communication System, called I-24/7, which securely connects each of the Organization’s 195 member countries through their National Central Bureau.
"It enables authorized users to share sensitive and urgent police information with their counterparts around the globe for the primary purpose of assisting in the prevention, detection and investigation of crime, in accordance with the Interpol mandate," said Azurin.
The UN also acknowledges the importance for National Central Bureaus to further expand INTERPOL’s global secure communications system to other national law enforcement entities at strategic locations with a view to increasing the security of their borders.
Extending real-time access to I-24/7 allows, for example, a frontline officer to verify in real time whether a passport has been stolen, or a firearms specialist from an anti-crime unit to verify a ballistic profile. INTERPOL’s global communication system can also be made available to non-police entities upon NCB’s authorization.
Banac, for his part, said he is grateful to be part of the committee and represent not just the PNP but the country.
Banac, the first member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1992 to become a general, served as chief of the PNP-Public Information Office and regional director of Police Regional Office 8.