Interpol elects first woman president

Interpol elected its first female president on Thursday with French police commissioner Mireille Ballestrazzi set to take control of the global crime fighting group.

Ballestrazzi, 58, is well renowned in France for her fight against organized crime and has been a police commissioner since the 70's, was elected at the 81st Interpol General Assembly in Rome.                             

"I am very proud for women, I am also proud for France, but we must not forget that I represent all the world's police forces together," she said of her historic rise to lead the 190 member country policing body.            

She said Interpol "needs to face the new threats like cybercrime" and "develop the means to be used by the various police services worldwide."Ballestrazzi will replace outgoing president Khoo Boon Hui of Singapore who has led the organization for the past 10 years.                 

"This bodes well as we prepare our organization and our members to tackle the increasingly difficult environment we face, not as individual member states but as a truly resilient and resourceful international police organization. This is Interpol," Khoo said in his farewell speech on Thursday.                 

The next general assembly will be held in Cartagena, Colombia, in 2013.


AP