Interpol to set up first overseas "global complex" in Singapore

Interpol has broken the ground for an international complex in Singapore that will be the only one of kind.

The complex is expected to house about 300 employees, including Interpol staff as well as law enforcement officers from the police forces of its members, local media reported on Saturday.

The mint green building at Tanglin, the embassy district of Singapore, will also house research and development for forensics and database capabilities and give round-the-clock support to Interpol's 188 members, the report said.

Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble said the building of the facility in the Asia-Pacific region reflected Interpol's status as a global entity.

Singapore's Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said the facility will drive Interpol's efforts to stay ahead of the challenges of "a new generation of policing."

The Interpol Global Complex is expected to be operational by the end of 2013.

The Interpol, which is headquartered in Lyon, France, pledged 2 million U.S. dollars towards the building at a General Assembly meeting in Qatar last November.

Shanmugam said the Interpol recently launched the Interpol Travel Document to facilitate easy travel between countries and regions.

Singapore would accord special visa status to such document holders and grant them a multiple-journey visa of up to five years for official Interpol duties.

nation.com.pk