Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, inked on Tuesday in Rabat, with his French peer, Louis Laugier, Director General of National Police, a Joint Action Plan between the National Police Services and France’s Directorate General of National Police.
This action plan was signed on the occasion of Hammouchi’s meeting with Laugier, who was accompanied by the Ambassador of the French Republic to Rabat and a large security delegation comprising several directors of central directorates of the French National Police, according to a press release from the DGSN-DGST Cluster.
It establishes a joint roadmap to fight cross-border organized crime in the two sister countries, the same source added.
This meeting forms part of the visit paid by the Director General of France’s Directorate General of National Police to the Kingdom, with a view of bolstering security cooperation and strengthening mutual assistance mechanisms in the numerous fields of bilateral police cooperation.
The importance of this joint plan resides in its capacity to institutionalize the distinguished cooperation mechanisms established for decades between Morocco’s police services and their French counterparts, as well as to develop and expand cooperation fields in order to pave the way for the creation of joint working groups to face the challenges of organized crime, including tracking fugitives and wanted persons on the international level.
This joint plan opens promising prospects for security cooperation and mutual assistance between the police services of the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic, to match the distinguished relations between the two friendly countries, and their enduring strategic partnership in the fields of training, information exchange, technical assistance and operational cooperation.
Laugier expressed his deep gratitude to the national police and surveillance services for their role in supporting French security in the fight against the terrorist threat, in tracking down and arresting several individuals wanted by the French justice system in connection with organized crime, and in providing security for the Paris Olympic Games.
He also expressed France’s willingness and readiness to offer all possible forms of support to help the Moroccan police with safety protocols to secure the international sporting events that Morocco will be hosting in the future.
In parallel with the working sessions held between the two parties, the Ambassador of the French Republic in Rabat, Christophe Lecourtier, presented the insignia of Officer of the Legion of Honour, which the French authorities awarded to the Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance, Abdellatif Hammouchi, in accordance with the ceremonial and protocol in force under the procedure for the award of high decorations by the French Republic.
Hammouchi was thus awarded France’s highest and most prestigious decorations, in recognition and confirmation of the pioneering role played by the national police services in international efforts to combat terrorism and organized crime.
This distinction also testifies to the effectiveness of mutual assistance in security matters between the two countries, in favor of common security issues.
The Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance held intensive talks with his French counterpart, focusing on assessing the level of bilateral cooperation in the security field, examining various issues of common interest, and exploring new mechanisms for strengthening assistance between the two parties to ensure the highest levels of preparedness to neutralize the various security risks and threats.
This visit illustrates the importance and level of cooperation between the Kingdom’s national police services and the French National Police. It also reflects the desire of both parties to strengthen mutual assistance and operational cooperation in order to achieve the highest level of preparedness to face the various threats and risks that threaten the security of both countries, the press release concluded.
