While nation states are expected to recognize and respect the sovereignty of one another based on the political borders that define them, it is unreasonable to expect that the challenges of one nation will not affect others. In a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected, the borders of each and every nation are become less and less defining. As a means to respect and preserve sovereignty, international organizations have found their role in breaking barriers and creating uniformity to better address the issues and conflicts that nations face but cannot contain within their borders, and crime is no exception. The International Criminal Police Organization, popularly known as Interpol, serves nations by connecting police for a safer world.
History
It was not until 1923 that the efforts to establish an international organization to combat crime and unify police forces attracted enough international attention after police officials from all over the world met at the International Criminal Police Congress in Vienna and acted to establish the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC). In 1938, the ICPC came under control of Nazi Germany as a result of the annexation of Austria. Between the years of 1938 and 1945, much of the leadership of the ICPC was composed of members and/or supporters of the Nazi Party. As a result of the leadership being associated with Nazi Germany, the headquarters of the ICPC was relocated to Berlin in 1942. During this time, many member states withdrew their support. After World War II came to a close in 1945, members of the ICPC reinstated their trust and support in the organization with Belgium, Scandinavia, France, and the United Kingdom leading change. The members would establish a headquarters in Saint-Cloud, France and rename the International Criminal Police Commission as the International Criminal Police Organization. In 1946, the ICPO elected to use INTERPOL as its telegraphic address. A decade later in the year 1956, The ICPO elected to rename itself and conduct operations under one common moniker, Interpol.
Structure
Headquartered in Lyon, France, Interpol is composed of six permanent internal organs; The General Assembly, The Executive Committee, The General Secretariat, The National Central Bureaus, The Advisors, and The Commission or the Control of Files. While the various organs have specific and important roles, all are part of the vital function and success of the organization as a whole.
The General Assembly is best described as the most authoritative organ of Interpol and is populated by delegates of the member states. Each member state is entitled to appoint a qualified delegation composed of a single or multiple delegate(s), though only one vote is granted to each delegation. The General Assembly is found responsible for budgeting, reviewing and accepting agreements with other organizations, reviewing and approving the general program of activities for the following year as proposed by the Secretary General, and adopting resolutions and making recommendations to member states on matters in which Interpol is qualified to deal in. The General Assembly convenes once a year unless additional meetings are requested by members of The Executive Committee or a majority of the members of The General Assembly.
In addition to the common operations, The General Assembly is also responsible for electing a President, three Vice-Presidents, and nine delegates from among all the delegates to serve on The Executive Committee. The President and Vice-Presidents must all be from different continents and all elected persons must be of different nations. Presidents are to serve a four-year term while Vice-Presidents and delegates serve a three-year term, none of which are eligible for immediate reelection.
The Executive Committee is expected to meet at least once a year. The President is to preside at meetings of both The General Assembly and The Executive Committee, guiding discussion and ensuring Interpol as an organization is operating in conformity with the provisions set for by the Assembly and Committee. The Executive Committee is responsible for the preparation of the agenda for sessions of the General Assembly and for the supervision of the execution of the decisions made by the Assembly. The Executive Committee is also responsible for the appointment of the Secretary General for a term of five years, who must then be considered and approved by the General Assembly.
The General Secretariat consists of the Secretary General as well as a technical and administrative staff to support the functions of the organ. Some of the key functions of The General Secretariat include publishing Interpol Notices, maintaining contact with national and international authorities and agencies, as well as performing any secretariat work for all other organs of Interpol. The General Secretariat is prohibited from requesting and/or using any assistance from any government or authority outside of the organization in order to eliminate any prejudices in their work and decision making.
National Central Bureaus are bodies that have been appointed by every member nation to act as liaison to the various law enforcement agencies within a single nation, the National Central Bureaus of other nations, and The General Secretariat. National Central Bureaus are key in the success of Interpol as they serve as the communication between individual member nations and the organization. National Central Bureaus are also responsible for the information that is transmitted to the organization which helps build the database for member nations to access and in some cases, leads to the issuance of an Interpol Notice if deemed necessary and appropriate.
The Advisors is a panel of experts in a field of interest to the organization, such as forensics. Advisors are appointed by The Executive Committee after notification by The General Assembly and serve as advisors for a three-year term. Advisors serve in strictly advisory roles and do not represent Interpol. Advisers may be requested to serve alongside Interpol staff and personnel in Interpol Response Team in field functions and operations.
Activities
In order to remain unbiased and preserve the integrity of the organization, Interpol is not to intervene in any and all matters that are of political, religious, racial, or militaristic nature. Current day functions include serving as a means by which criminal law enforcement agencies can network, issuing notices for agencies to be aware of issues that may impact their jurisdictions, and serve as a coordinator between agencies. These functions are executed through I-24/7, Interpol Notices, and the Interpol National Central Bureau or Incident Response Team, dependent on the circumstances.
Interpol’s I-24/7 is a database of information hosted in the headquarters in Lyon, France. I-24/7 is available to access by select law enforcement agencies who represent the member states of Interpol. I-24/7 serves to track criminals and crime trends throughout the globe. Through the authorized collection of information such as face photos, fingerprints, and DNA samples, Interpol is equipped to aid law enforcement agencies in investigations that may not be exclusive to their jurisdiction for the rapid identification of suspects and in unfortunate cases, victims.
In addition to serving as a database for law enforcement agencies to access whenever they deem necessary, Interpol also encourages cooperation and the distribution of knowledge and information through the use of Interpol Notices. Interpol Notices are published by the General Secretariat under the request of National Central Bureaus and are categorized based on the information provided or requested by the notice. In total, Interpol recognizes eight different types of requests and identifies them using a color-coded system.
Interpol Red Notices are issued to request the apprehension of a person who is suspected to have committed a crime in order to extradite them or otherwise bring them to justice. These notices are issued based on valid national arrest warrants that have been issued by a country or international tribunal and validated by The General Secretariat but are not warrants themselves. Law enforcement agencies are asked to provide assistance in the apprehension of the suspect, though Interpol cannot compel any law enforcement agency to do so. Red Notices also aid in resolving criminal cases by flagging wanted individuals to border officials, making travel and evasion more difficult for suspects. To increase effectiveness, some Red Notices are available for public dissemination, though some information is withheld in the version of the notice that is publicly published.
Blue Notices issued by Interpol are similar in nature to Red Notices in that they seek information on suspected criminals. However, unlike Red Notices, Blue Notices do not request the apprehension of any suspects. Blue Notices are diffused strictly as a means by which to request and obtain information on a suspect’s identity, location, or activity as it pertains to the crime in question.
Interpol Yellow Notices are issued to solicit information on persons who have gone missing or on behalf of persons who cannot identify themselves. Similar to the Red Notices, Yellow Notices aim to make travel difficult by flagging individuals to border officials. In addition to being available to law enforcement agencies, Yellow Notices are also approved for public dissemination in a limited format.
Black Notices are issued by Interpol to seek identifying information on corpses. These types or requests are most commonly issued after emergencies such as natural disasters or tragedies. Black Notices are often diffused at the request of an Interpol Incident Response Team, or IRT.
Green Notices and Orange Notices are similar in that both aim to provide information and a warning of the occurrence of a crime. The main differences lie in that Green Notices are issued on the knowledge that a crime has occurred and the suspicion that the crime is likely to reoccur while Orange Notices are issued based on the knowledge that a person, object, event, or process presents a serious and imminent threat to the safety and well-being of the public. Both notices are geared towards preventing a crime or tragedy and are considered to be proactive measures to preserve public safety.
Interpol Purple Notices facilitate the exchange of information regarding modus operandi, devices and concealment methods that are being used by criminals throughout the world. This notice is the result of crime trend tracking compiled and diffused for the identification of crimes as they occur in member nations. By creating a report based on documented crimes and explaining how to identify the crimes as they occur, Interpol aids law enforcement agencies in combatting crime within their own jurisdictions.
The final type of notice that Interpol recognizes, and issues is the Interpol – United Nations Security Council Special Notice. This notice is issued as a result of the working relationship that Interpol has with the United Nations and informs law enforcement agencies that United Nations sanctions apply to a person or entity. In providing this information to law enforcement agencies, Interpol aims to give effect to the United Nations sanctions.
Beyond I-24/7 and Interpol Notices, Interpol also conducts operations through the Interpol National Central Bureau and Incident Response Teams. Both entities provide very similar services in that they serve as an intermediary or administrative liaison between law enforcement agencies of different nations. The cooperation of various law enforcement agencies is facilitated through Interpol because of the elimination of language, bureaucratic, and cultural differences. Furthermore, Interpol acts as liaison in that they serve to notify law enforcement agencies about the involvement of another nation’s law enforcement agency within the jurisdiction of the notified agency, which often results in some form or cooperation between the two agencies. The distinction between National Central Bureaus and Incident Response Teams is that National Central Bureaus are permanent bodies within member nations while Incident Response Teams are teams dispatched by Interpol to respond to natural disasters and tragedies.
Impact
While Interpol is criticized for having refrained from intervening in the prosecution of members of the Nazi party after World War II, it did so to preserve integrity and respect the sovereignty of Germany as a nation engulfed in a political war. Interpol has aided in supporting the United Nations and providing effect to their sanctions. While serving largely as a supporting organization for others, Interpol has also had numerous success of its own.
In 2014, Interpol aided the efforts in locating Nigerian schoolgirls who had been abducted by Boko Haram. Support took form in the shape of Yellow Notices being issued and diffused to all member nations. Days later, Interpol was credited with having provided the intelligence to Philippian police forces in order to arrest almost 60 suspects involved in a cyber “sextortion†ring. Through awareness and the dissemination of information to member nations, law enforcement agencies are better equipped to combat crimes throughout the world.
Overall, Interpol serves as a network by which law enforcement agencies communicate. Though Interpol itself does not have officers through which to apprehend suspects, Interpol is a primary example of how specializing in one general process and fostering relationships with other organizations leads to success and, in the case of Interpol, justice. Interpol does have limitations and restrictions, such as refraining from intervening in political matter which may sometimes inhibit the effectiveness of the organization, but overall is still crucial in the realm of international justice and public safety. In the year of 2017, Interpol published over 50,000 Notices. This figure is a clear testament to the need for an organization to facilitate the exchange of information, a need that Interpol satisfies for the international community.