The International Criminal Police Organization, commonly known as INTERPOL, is an intergovernmental body that enables police forces in member countries to share data, coordinate operations, and pursue suspects across borders. It was founded in 1923 in Vienna as the International Criminal Police Commission and was reconstituted under its current name in 1956, when its modern constitution entered into force. Its General Secretariat is headquartered in Lyon, France.
INTERPOL is not a United Nations organ, but it cooperates closely with the UN system. It holds observer status at the UN General Assembly (granted in 1996) and has a longstanding cooperation agreement with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It is frequently referenced in Security Council resolutions dealing with terrorism, sanctions enforcement, and foreign terrorist fighters.
Key operational tools include:
- Notices, color-coded alerts circulated to member countries. The best known is the Red Notice, a request to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition. Others include Blue (information), Yellow (missing persons), Green (warnings), Orange (threats), Black (unidentified bodies), and Purple (modi operandi). A UN Security Council Special Notice is issued jointly for individuals subject to UN sanctions.
- I-24/7, a secure global police communications network.
- Databases on stolen and lost travel documents (SLTD), DNA, fingerprints, stolen vehicles, and stolen works of art.
INTERPOL is governed by a General Assembly of all member states, which elects an Executive Committee and a President. Day-to-day operations are run by the Secretary General. Each member maintains a National Central Bureau (NCB) linking domestic police to the Secretariat.
Article 3 of INTERPOL's Constitution forbids the organization from undertaking any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious, or racial character — a provision frequently invoked when states are accused of abusing Red Notices to pursue dissidents or journalists. A Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files (CCF) reviews complaints about data processing.
Example
In 2022, INTERPOL elected Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi of the United Arab Emirates as its President at the General Assembly held in New Delhi, a vote contested by human-rights groups citing concerns about Red Notice abuse.
Frequently asked questions
No. INTERPOL is an independent intergovernmental organization, but it holds UN General Assembly observer status (granted in 1996) and cooperates with bodies such as UNODC and the Security Council's counter-terrorism committees.
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