International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL): History, Functions, Types of Notices & More

PM Narendra Modi on 18 October 2022 urged the Interpol to speed up "red notices" against fugitive offenders to help eliminate safe havens for the terrorists, corrupts and criminals. The PM's remark comes days after the global police agency reportedly rejected India's request to issue a red notice against Khalistan separatist group Sikhs for Justice.

What are red notices?

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is based on an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authorities in the requesting country. Member countries apply their own laws in deciding whether to arrest a person.

The red notice mainly contains two main types of information:
1. Information to identify the wanted person, such as their name, date of birth, nationality, hair and eye colour, photographs and fingerprints if available.
2. Information related to the crime they are wanted for, which can typically be murder, rape, child abuse or armed robbery.

Red Notices are published by INTERPOL at the request of a member country, and must comply with INTERPOL's Constitution and Rules.

Red notices are issued by Interpol to locate a fugitive who has fled the country where he is wanted. A member country can arrest or deport an individual against whom such a notice is circulated by Interpol.

How many red notices are issued by India?

Approximately 778 Red Notices issued by India are active, of which 205 are by the CBI against fugitives like Dawood Ibrahim, his aide Chhota Shakeel, terrorist Masood Azhar and economic offenders like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi among others.
India's Appeal: While inaugurating the 90th General Assembly of the Interpol in Delhi on Tuesday, PM Modi flagged the need for global cooperation to deal with safe havens in different parts of the world where the corrupt find a way to park the proceeds of crime.

History of INTERPOL

Established in: 1923 by 19 countries
HQ: Lyon, France
1927: Adopted a Resolution that each member country should establish a central point of contact within its police structure; this was the forerunner of today's National Central Bureau (NCB)
1930: specialized departments had been established to deal with criminal records, currency counterfeiting and passport forgery.
1932: Created the post of Secretary General
1946: Belgium led the rebuilding of the Organization after the end of World War II.
1947: The first Red Notice was issued in 1947 for a Russian man wanted for murdering a policeman.
1950: Emblem and flag
1956: India became a member.
1969: First regional conference for member countries
2012: First woman to be appointed to the post of President of INTERPOL
2019: The I-CORE programme was launched to reinforce INTERPOL's function as a global police information hub.
2021: The I-Familia database was launched, taking the number of INTERPOL databases to 19.
2021: Launched its first mobile application, ID-Art, which gives access to INTERPOL's Stolen Works of Art database.
2022: Launched Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC)

Functions of INTERPOL

1. Connects police across the world even if these individual member nations do not have diplomatic relations.
2. It facilitates information exchange, knowledge sharing between nations.
However, the Interpol doesn't have any law enforcement powers such as arrest.

What are the different Interpol notices?

These are the different types of notices of Interpol.

1. Red Notice

It is issued by the General Secretariat at the request of a member country or an international tribunal based on a valid national arrest warrant. It is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition.

2. Orange Notice

It is issued to provide warnings about warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety.

3. Blue Notice

It is issued to collect additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a crime. However, this notice does not guarantee extradition or arrest of the person.

4. Yellow Notice

It is issued to help locate missing persons, often minors, or to help identify persons who are unable to identify themselves.

5. Green Notice

It is issued to provide warnings and intelligence about persons who have committed criminal offences and are likely to repeat these crimes in other countries.