INTERPOL

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL POLICE ORGANIZATION

What is INTERPOL?
International Criminal Police Organization
An International Criminal Police Organization
n inter-governmental organization
Have 194 member countries
Help police in all of them to work together to make the world a
safer place.
Enables to share and access data on crimes and criminals, and
offers a range of technical and operational support.
 Who makes up INTERPOL?
The General Secretariat coordinates our day-to-day activities to fight a
range of crimes. Run by the Secretary General, it is staffed by both police
and civilians and comprises a headquarters in Lyon, a global complex for
innovation in Singapore and several satellite offices in different regions.
In each country, an INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) provides
the central point of contact for the General Secretariat and other NCBs. An
NCB is run by national police officials and usually sits in the government
ministry responsible for policing.
The General Assembly is the governing body and it brings all countries
together once a year to take decisions.
Connecting police
Connect all countries via a communications system called
I-24/7. Countries use this secure network to contact each
other, and the General Secretariat. It also allows them to
access our databases and services in real-time, from both
central and remote locations.
Also coordinate networks of police and experts in different
crime areas, who come together through working groups
and at conferences to share experiences and ideas.
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 What INTERPOL do?
The General Secretariat provides a range of expertise and
services to our member countries. Manage 18 police databases
with information on crimes and criminals (from names and
fingerprints to stolen passports), accessible in real-time to
countries.
Offer investigative support such as forensics, analysis, and
assistance in locating fugitives around the world. Training is an
important part of what we do in many areas so that officials
know how to work efficiently with our services.
What INTERPOL do?
This expertise supports national efforts in combating crimes
across three global areas we consider the most pressing today;
terrorism, cybercrime and organized crime.
Officials working in each specialized crime area run a variety of
different activities alongside member countries. This can be
investigative support, field operations, training and networking.
Importantly, since crimes evolve, keep an eye on the future
through research and development in international crime and
trends.
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 A global platform
Today’s crimes are increasingly international. It is crucial that there is
coordination among all the different players in maintaining a global security
architecture.
Since INTERPOL is a global organization, it can provide this platform for
cooperation; It enables police to work directly with their counterparts, even
between countries which do not have diplomatic relations.
Also it provides a voice for police on the world stage, engaging with
governments at the highest level to encourage this cooperation and use of our
services.
All our actions are politically neutral and taken within the limits of existing
laws in different countries.
General Secretariat
The General Secretariat runs INTERPOL’s day-to-day activities
to support member countries in their international policing.
INTERPOL is a membership-based organization, and the
General Secretariat is the body that coordinates all our
policing and administrative activities.
It is run by the Secretary General; currently Jürgen Stock of
Germany, who was appointed by the General Assembly in
November 2014.
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Global nature
There are around 1,000 staff, one-quarter of whom are
law enforcement personnel seconded by their national
administration. Staff work in any of the Organization's four
languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
The global nature of our work and of INTERPOL
membership means that a global presence is essential for
the General Secretariat. It comprises the following:
 Lyon headquarters
The headquarters in Lyon
coordinates much of the
policing expertise and
services we provide to
member countries. It is also
the administrative and
logistical centre of the
Organization.
INTERPOL Global Complex for
Innovation
Based in Singapore since
2015, the INTERPOL Global
Complex for Innovation is the
centre of our activities in
cybercrime, research and
development, and capacity
building. It also provides an
Asian base for the
Organization in several crime
areas.
 Regional bureaus
Seven regional bureaus bring together police within a region to share
experiences and tackle common crime issues:
Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Cameroon (Yaoundé)
Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan)
El Salvador (San Salvador)
Kenya (Nairobi)
Thailand liaison office (Bangkok)
Zimbabwe (Harare)
 AU, EU and UN offices
INTERPOL have three special representative offices at the
African Union in Addis Ababa, the European Union in Brussels
and the United Nations in New York. We also have a liaison office
at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna.
These enable INTERPOL to work closely with these entities who
share our mission of preventing and combating transnational
crime. It also develop joint efforts to enhance regional and global
security.
Governance
Our governing bodies ensure that INTERPOL’s activities
respect the common goals of our global membership.
INTERPOL’s direction and policy are decided by our
member countries through our governing bodies: the
General Assembly and Executive Committee.
Executive Committee
Our 13-member Executive Committee supervises the
General Secretariat’s work in line with General Assembly
decisions.
Role of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is the governing body in charge
of supervising the execution of the General Assembly’s
decisions and the administration and work of the General
Secretariat. It meets three times a year and sets
organizational policy and direction.
The Committee's members sit at the top level of policing in
their own countries and bring many years of experience and
knowledge to advise and guide the Organization.
Role of the Executive Committee
Its role is to:
Supervise the execution of the decisions of the General
Assembly;
Prepare the agenda for sessions of the General Assembly;
Submit to the General Assembly any programme of work
or project which it considers useful;
Supervise the administration and work of the Secretary
General.
Composition of the Executive
Committee
Elected by the General Assembly, the Executive Committee has 13
members comprising the President of the Organization, two vice-
presidents and nine delegates. They are all from different countries
and the geographical distribution is balanced.
The President is elected for four years, and vice-presidents and
delegates for three. They are not immediately eligible for re-election
either to the same posts or as delegates to the Executive Committee.
 Current members of the Executive
Committee
President Delegates
Khaled Jameel Al Materyeen (Jordan)
Kim Jong Yang (Republic of Korea)
Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi (United Arab Emirates)
Vice-Presidents Jean-Jacques Colombi (France)
Benyamina Abbad (Algeria) Héctor Espinosa Valenzuela (Chile)

Šárka Havránková (Czech Republic) Rogerio Galloro (Brazil)

Robert Guirao Bailén (Andorra)
Vice-President for the Americas –
Vacant Destino Pedro (Angola)
Olushola Kamar Subair (Nigeria)
Jannine Van den Berg (The Netherlands)
General Assembly
Membership comes together annually in the General
Assembly to vote on activities and policy.
The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing
body, comprising representatives from each of our member
countries. It meets once a year and each session lasts around
four days.
Each member country may be represented by one or several
delegates who are typically chiefs of police and senior ministry
officials.
 General Assembly
Its purpose is to ensure that INTERPOL’s activities correspond to the needs
of our member countries. It does this by determining the principles and
measures for the Organization to reach its objectives, and by reviewing and
approving the programme of activities and financial policy for the coming
year.
In addition, the General Assembly elects the members of the Executive
Committee, the governing body which provides guidance and direction in
between sessions of the Assembly.
On the agenda each year are also the major crime trends and security
threats facing the world.
General Assembly
 One country, one vote
The General Assembly takes decisions in the form of
Resolutions. Each member country represented has one vote.
The decision-making process is made by either a simple or
two-thirds majority, depending on the subject matter. These
Resolutions are public documents and available from 1960 to
the current date.
As the largest global gathering of senior law enforcement
officials, the General Assembly also provides an important
opportunity for countries to network and share experiences.
General Assembly, Berlin, 1924
Member countries
INTERPOL has 194 member countries, making us the world's
largest police organization. They work together and with the
General Secretariat to share data related to police investigations.
Each country hosts an INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB),
which links national police with our global network.
Countries come together at our annual General Assembly to
decide policy, working methods, finances and activities. In
addition, heads of NCB meet annually at a conference to share
experiences.
The Strategic Framework
 Name and logo
Official name
Our full name is “The International Criminal Police Organization –
INTERPOL”, which is abbreviated to "ICPO–INTERPOL".
For general communications purposes, we just say INTERPOL. It is an
abbreviation of "international police" and it was chosen in 1946 as a
telegraphic address.
Until 1956, we were the International Criminal Police Commission.
The logo
For communications purposes today, we use the ‘logo’ which is a combination
of our name and our emblem. It is a single-colour image, generally used in
 Emblem
The emblem, in use since 1950,
comprises the following elements:
The globe, to indicate that our activities
are worldwide;
Olive branches symbolizing peace;
Scales symbolizing justice;
A vertical sword, symbolizing police
action;
The name "INTERPOL";
The abbreviation "ICPO" and its French
equivalent "OIPC".
 The Flag
Used for protocol and events,
and dates back to 1950. It has
a light-blue background, with
the emblem in the centre, and
four lightning flashes which
symbolize telecommunications
and speed in police action.
 Command and Coordination Centre
The Command and Coordination Centre is the nerve centre of INTERPOL’s daily operations.
The Command and Coordination Centre (CCC) is the first point of contact for any country
requiring urgent assistance from the General Secretariat or from another country.
Its staff can help national police cross time zones and language barriers when seeking
assistance with an investigation. This can be, for example, to locate fugitives or carry out
identity checks or database checks.
The CCC provides a 24/7/365 service from its three operations rooms in Singapore, Lyon
and Buenos Aires.
Staffed by officials from diverse nationalities, the CCC can respond in all four of our official
languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
 INTERPOL NOTICES
Our colour-coded Notices enable countries to share alerts and requests for information
worldwide.
INTERPOL Notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in
member countries to share critical crime-related information.
Notices are published by the General Secretariat at the request of a National Central
Bureau and are made available to all our member countries. Notices can also be used by
the United Nations, International Criminal Tribunals and the International Criminal Court to
seek persons wanted for committing crimes within their jurisdiction, notably genocide, war
crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Most Notices are for police use only and are not made available to the public. However, in
some cases, for example to alert the public, or to request help from the public, an extract of
the Notice can be published on this site. United Nations Special Notices are public.
 Types of Notice
Red Notice: To seek the location and arrest of wanted persons
wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.
Yellow Notice: To help locate missing persons, often minors, or to
help identify persons who are unable to identify themselves.
Blue Notice: To collect additional information about a person’s
identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.
Black Notice: To seek information on unidentified bodies.
 Types of Notice
Green Notice: To provide warning about a person’s criminal activities, where
the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety.
Orange Notice: To warn of an event, a person, an object or a process
representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety.
Purple Notice: To seek or provide information on modus operandi, objects,
devices and concealment methods used by criminals.
INTERPOL–United Nations Security Council Special Notice: Issued for groups
and individuals who are the targets of UN Security Council Sanctions
Committees.
Global Policing Goals
INTERPOL’s seven Global Policing Goals reflect the
priorities against criminal and terrorist threats, in alignment
with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
The Global Policing Goals focus the collective efforts of the
international law enforcement community to create a safer
and more sustainable world for future generations.
Global Policing Goals
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INTERPOL’s 7 Global Policing
Goals
Goal 1: Counter the threat of terrorism
Identify and arrest terrorist suspects
Strengthen intelligence-sharing platforms
Disrupt terrorist movement and mobility
Trace and disrupt financial streams and weapons sourcing
INTERPOL’s 7 Global Policing
Goals
Goal 2: Promote border integrity worldwide
Identify criminal and victim movements and travel
Share information with and between border officials
Contribute to the establishment of global standards for
border security
Assist member countries with maintaining the integrity of
their security documents (e.g. addressing the use of
counterfeit/false passports)
INTERPOL’s 7 Global Policing
Goals
Goal 3: Protect vulnerable communities
Detect crimes and criminals and identify prevention opportunities
Protect victims of crime from exploitation and re-victimization
Respect human rights of vulnerable communities
Develop robust networks of experts to exchange information, best
practice and operational activity
Disrupt the profit element in the criminal business model
Identify and disrupt the illicit financial streams and profits derived
through this criminal business model
INTERPOL’s 7 Global Policing
Goals
Goal 4: Secure cyberspace for people and businesses
Establish partnerships to secure cyberspace
Expand cybercrime investigative expertise
Safeguard communities through standard setting, public
education
Protect critical infrastructure
INTERPOL’s 7 Global Policing
Goals
Goal 5: Promote global integrity
Promote good governance and rule of law
Enhance corruption investigative expertise
Promote a culture of integrity where corruption is not
acceptable
Build mechanisms to support and defend integrity and
restore stolen assets
INTERPOL’s 7 Global Policing
Goals
Goal 6: Curb illicit markets
Raise awareness among the public of the risks associated with illicit
goods and products
Build mechanisms to detect emerging illicit markets
Strengthen capacity to investigate and prevent illicit trade, including its
financing
Identify and disrupt the illicit financial stream and profits derived
through this type of criminal activity
Identify and disrupt organized crime and drugs networks
INTERPOL’s 7 Global Policing
Goals
Goal 7: Support environmental security and sustainability
Strengthen capacity to investigate environmental crime
Protect resource-dependent communities, vulnerable species
and natural heritage
Build mechanisms to protect biodiversity and natural resources
Disrupt organized crime networks and the profit element
Identify and disrupt the illicit financial stream and profits
derived through this type of criminal activity