What is INTERPOL?

INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, plays a pivotal role in the global fight against crime. This organisation brings together law enforcement agencies from 194 countries, making it the largest police organisation in the world. The primary aim of INTERPOL is to facilitate broad access to information on crimes and criminals, enabling swift and coordinated actions on an international scale.

What is INTERPOL?

INTERPOL, or the International Criminal Police Organization, was founded in 1923 to bolster international cooperation in combating transnational crime. This organisation brings together law enforcement agencies from 194 member countries, making it the largest police organisation in the world. The primary aim of INTERPOL is to ensure safety and law and order by facilitating the exchange of information between police departments of different countries.

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INTERPOL operates in areas such as counter-terrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking, and human organ trade, as well as combating economic crimes and corruption. The organisation also assists in the search for missing persons and bolsters efforts in disaster prevention and response to major accidents.

Interpol Notices

INTERPOL notices are tools for international cooperation, providing critically important information about dangers and criminals. These notices can be used to warn about crimes, alert to threats, request detentions, or to gather further information. There are eight different types of INTERPOL notices, each with its own colour reflecting its specific purpose.

Interpol Red notice The most well-known type, it is issued for the search of individuals wanted for serious crimes such as murder or fraud. It is not an international arrest warrant, but it informs law enforcement agencies of the need to temporarily detain the individual until a decision on extradition is made.
A blue notice is used to gather additional information about the whereabouts or activities of individuals suspected of crimes, or to track their movements. This assists countries in coordinating their efforts during investigations.
A Green Notice is a warning about individuals who have committed crimes in one country and may commit them in another. The Green Notice assists police forces to be on alert and take precautionary measures.
A Yellow Notice is used to locate missing persons, especially children, or to assist in identifying individuals who are unable to establish their own identity.
A black notice is used to identify unidentified bodies. This can include cases where bodies are found in one country and attempts are made to identify them through international police cooperation.
An orange alert provides information on threats from unidentified or unusual objects and situations that could pose a danger to public safety, such as concealed explosive devices or diseases.
A purple notice is exchanged to share information on the modi operandi used by criminals, which assists police forces in analysing and preventing crimes by using known methods of their commission.
Interpol documents may contain training materials or recommendations that help improve the methods of police departments, which don’t directly fit into other notification categories.

These alerts serve as a potent tool in INTERPOL’s arsenal for ensuring global security and law and order.

Extradition procedure

Extradition is the process by which one country hands over an individual to another country for the purposes of criminal prosecution or to serve a sentence. The extradition procedure typically requires a bilateral treaty between the countries and is conducted in strict accordance with the legislation of both the requesting and the granting states. During the consideration of an extradition request, aspects such as the severity of the crime, the presence of sufficient evidence of guilt, and beliefs that extradition is not being used for political persecution or discrimination based on race, religion, or nationality are taken into account.

How can one remove a Red Notice from Interpol?

An Interpol Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant, but it can have a significant impact on a person’s life as it signals law enforcement agencies in various countries to detain the individual for the purpose of extradition. To find out how to remove Interpol Red Notice, it is necessary to contact the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF). The procedure includes the following steps:

Submission of an application: The interested party or their representative must submit an official statement to the CCF, arguing why the notice was issued erroneously or unfairly.
Case Review: The CCF reviews the case, taking into account the evidence and arguments provided. This may include legal, political, and human aspects.
Decision-making: If the committee concludes that the notification does not comply with Interpol’s rules and standards, it may recommend its removal or amendment.

This process may take a considerable amount of time and requires careful preparation of all necessary documents and evidence.

David Prior

David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.