NNA - A unified Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) police has been approved by the Gulf interior ministers.



This police force would be similar to the Interpol and Europol in fighting crime and deterring threats, GCC officials said in Manama on Thursday where the ministers held their 32nd meeting.



"The purpose of having the unified police is to achieve greater coordination and better exchange of information between the GCC countries' police," Abdul Lateef Al Zayani, the GCC secretary-general, said.



"There will be tasks similar to those of the Interpol," he added.



The GCC, established in Abu Dhabi in 1981, comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, who are unaffected by the wave of protests in the Arab Spring countries, fear the impact of regional insecurity in Syria, Egypt and Libya.


=======================L.W.