Delegates at Interpol’s 85th General Assembly have elected Meng Hongwei of China as the new of President of Interpol.

Mr Meng, China’s Vice Minister of Public Security, who will take up his duties with immediate effect, said as a veteran policeman he stood ready to do everything he could towards the cause of policing in the world, Interpol reported.

“We currently face some of the most serious global public security challenges since World War Two,” said Mr Meng.

“Interpol, guided by the best set of principles and mechanisms to date, has made a significant contribution to promoting international police cooperation.

“Interpol should continue to adhere to these principles and strategies, while further innovating our work mechanisms, in order to adapt to the changing security situation we see today,” said Mr Meng.

Secretary General Jürgen Stock thanked outgoing President Mireille Ballestrazzi of France for her dedication and service to the Organization’s 190 member countries and her significant contribution to international policing.

Also elected to the Executive Committee were Police Major-General Alexander Prokopchuk of Russia, the Head of Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Moscow as Vice President for Europe, Chief of the Argentine Federal Police, General Commissioner Néstor Ramón Roncaglia, as Delegate for the Americas and Mátyás Hegyaljai, Hungary’s Deputy State Secretary for International and European Union Matters as Delegate for Europe.

The elections round off the four-day gathering of some 830 police chiefs and senior law enforcement officials from 164 countries.