Interpol is the International Criminal Police Organization and was founded in 1923. Interpol has its headquarters in Lyon, France. Currently all 195 states on the globe that are recognized by the United Nations as states, are also part of Interpol. The four languages in which Interpol operates are English, Arabic, French and Spanish. The organization consists of a General Secretariat in Lyon, which is run by the Secretary General (currently Mr. Jürgen Stock) and National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in each member state, that are run by national police officials. All member states are brought together at the annual General Assembly. The General Secretariat works from the headquarters in Lyon, the Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore and more regional bureaus and has both, civilians and police officials, working for it. Therefore, Interpol is not a law enforcement agency but rather an organization that connects police through nations.

Most of Interpols budget is generated through obligatory annual contributions from the member countries, but also from voluntary funding from e.g. government agencies, private entities, foundations or international organizations.

Interpol, according to its constitution, seeks to remain politically neutral. This is also the reason why Interpol states, that politically motivated red notices are not permitted. If you suspect that your Interpol red notice is politcally motivated, we might be able to get it removed for you. Get in touch with us now.

Interpol’s focus lies on public safety and fighting transnational crime by making communication between national law enforcement agencys possible, safe and easily accessible. To support that, Interpol manages 19 police databases that are secure and accessible to all member states in real-time. These contain information on criminals like names, photos and fingerprints.

Furthermore, the organizations‘ aims to assist member states’ police departments to work more efficiently by working together and

• Exchanging information between the states
• Coordinating border crossing investigations, thus helping states to work together
• Identifying patterns by gathering and analyzing data about international crime
• Providing training and guidance on new methods of investigation through experts in various fields

The agency focuses their above-mentioned work on these three areas of transnational crime that they deem most pressing:

• targeting organized crime and analysing emerging crime and threats
• attacking cybercrime and making the cyberspace a safer place
• Obstructing and preventing terrorist activity

There are also several types of Interpol Notices. Our experienced extradition lawyers are by your side to help you challenge any Interpol Notice you might be subject of. Find out more in our extensive overview about the different Interpol Notices.