Madam, - I am writing in reference to Kevin Myers's Irishman's Diary of September 29th.
The article's description of Interpol as "merely a dating agency between European police forces" is both inaccurate and misleading.
Interpol is a global police organisation with 181 member countries and offers police forces around the world vital and effective assistance in the fight against international crime and terrorism.
Through its sophisticated, state-of-the-art global communications system, known as 1-24/7, Interpol enables urgent police messages about major international crime threats to be shared swiftly and efficiently, and nominal data, fingerprints, identity documents and other materials to be verified in seconds.
In addition to providing crucial analytical support to the world's police, Interpol also offers direct operational support to member countries with Incident Response Teams ready to be deployed to the site of an attack if needed.
Far from being a "dating agency", Interpol is an essential tool in assisting its member countries throughout the world to combat transnational crime and secure the safety of their citizens. - Yours, etc.,
RACHAEL BILLINGTON, Press Officer, Interpol, Lyon, France.