E-passport in the works for Interpol

MONTREAL, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Interpol tasked an international consortium of document technology companies to design and produce the first-ever e-passport for the police organization.

Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble told a delegation at a biometrics and security conference in Canada the sanctioning of a secure and globally recognized e-passport for Interpol will give the police force greater freedom of travel and operation.

"Criminals can cross borders swiftly and effortlessly, while our heads of National Central Bureaus and even our headquarters staff are slowed down or stopped because of bureaucratic international red tape, which constitutes a major impediment to keeping the world safe," he said.

The Interpol e-passport incorporates laser engraving, an electronic microchip, holographic, micrographic and optical security measures in a new state-of-the-art secure identification document.

Noble described the e-passport as a "significant step forward" in law enforcement and secure travel documents, especially as it relates to fraudulent passports used by international terrorists and criminals.

The international consortium, which includes companies in the neurotechnology and advanced printing sector, will now move forward with the design of the final version of the Interpol e-passport in preparation for a review in October.