CHAPTER 2

INTERPOL
An Overview

OVERVIEW
 INTERPOL’s full name is the International Criminal Police Organization and it is an
inter-governmental organization.
 It has 194 member countries, and it helps police in to work together to make the world
a safer place.
 INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization.
 INTERPOL provides investigative support, expertise, and training to law enforcement
worldwide, focusing on three major areas of transnational crime: terrorism, cybercrime,
and organized crime. Its broad mandate covers virtually every kind of crime, including
crimes against humanity, child pornography, drug trafficking and production, political
corruption, copyright infringement, and white-collar crime. The agency also facilitates
co-operation among national law enforcement institutions through criminal databases
and communications networks.
Working Principles
INTERPOL Is not a police force. It is the machinery for international Police cooperation
and communication. The principles on which Interpol’s function have stood the test of time. It
has become clear that the organization cannot have teams of detectives with supranational
powers who travel around investigating cases in different countries. International police
cooperation is the coordinated action of the member countries’ police forces, all of which supply
and request information and services.
The INTERPOL is comprised of the following bodies:
A. General Assembly
B. Executive Committee
C. General Secretariat
D. National Central Bureaus
E. Advisers
 CCF

A. General Assembly
 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.

 Its purpose is to ensure that INTERPOL’s activities correspond to the needs of 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.
 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
 B. 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. 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 program 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

EC composition 2019-2020
 President
Kim Jong Yang (Republic of Korea)
 Vice-Presidents
Benyamina Abbad (Algeria)
Šárka Havránková (Czech Republic)
Vice-President for the Americas – Vacant
 Delegates
Khaled Jameel Al Materyeen (Jordan)
Ahmed Nasser Al-Raisi (United Arab Emirates)
Jean-Jacques Colombi (France)
Héctor Espinosa Valenzuela (Chile)
Rogerio Galloro (Brazil)
Robert Guirao Bailén (Andorra)
Destino Pedro (Angola)
Olushola Kamar Subair (Nigeria)
 Jannine Van den Berg (The Netherlands)

Role of the President

The President of the Organization is elected by the General Assembly for a period of
four years.
INTERPOL's Constitution requires that the President:
 Preside at meetings of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee and direct
the discussions;
 Ensure that the activities of the Organization are in conformity with the decisions of the
General Assembly and the Executive Committee;
 Maintain, as far as possible, direct and constant contact with the Secretary General of
the Organization.
 The role of President is part-time and unpaid, with the holder retaining their full-time
post within their national authority.

Activity 4 – In a piece of paper, draw the Interpol LOGO and EMBLEM. Explain the
symbols found in it.
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 Activity 5- INTERPOL is itself not a law enforcement agency. If not, then what is it?
Why is it called Police if it is not a law enforcement agency?
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Activity 6. What is the function of a Delegate of the Executive committee? What

requirements should one possess to become a delegate?
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C. 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.

 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 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’s General Secretariat is based in Lyon, France, supported by the Global

Complex for Innovation in Singapore, seven regional bureaus, and Special Representative
Offices at the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations. Each member
countries maintains a National Central Bureau staffed by its own highly trained law enforcement
officials.

 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.

 Regional bureaus
The 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)

 Secretary General
  The Secretary General is responsible for the General Secretariat, overseeing its
day-to-day activities and ensuring that it implements the decisions of the General
Assembly and Executive Committee.  

 The Secretary General is proposed by the Executive Committee and appointed by

the General Assembly for a period of five years and may be re-appointed once. 

 The Secretary General engages with leaders at both policing and political levels
to increase support for the Organization, advocating for our role within today’s
global security architecture, and being a voice for policing matters on the world
stage.

Activity 7. Had there been a Filipino Secretary General in the History of

INTERPOL? Write something about it.

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D. National Central Bureaus

 The National Central Bureau is a country’s focal point for all INTERPOL
activities

 Each of our member countries hosts an INTERPOL National Central Bureau

(NCB). This connects their national law enforcement with other countries and
with the General Secretariat via our secure global police communications
network called I-24/7.

 NCBs are at the heart of INTERPOL and how we work. They seek the
information needed from other NCBs to help investigate crime or criminals in
their own country, and they share criminal data and intelligence to assist
another country.

 NCBs contribute national crime data to our global databases, in accordance

with their respective national laws. This ensures that accurate data is in the
 right place at the right time to allow police to identify a trend, prevent a
crime, or arrest a criminal.

 NCBs cooperate on cross-border investigations, operations and arrests. To

take investigations beyond national borders, they can seek cooperation from
any other NCB.
 Given the common issues faced within each region, NCBs work together
increasingly on a regional basis. They combine resources and expertise in
successful interventions against those crime areas which affect them the
most.
 The composition of an NCB varies from country to country, but they are
usually part of the national police force, and are staffed by highly-trained
police officers.
 NCBs often sit structurally in a unit close to the national police chief and most
of them have the authority to trigger law enforcement action in their own
countries.
E. Adviser

 Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s files

 The CCF is an independent body that ensures that all personal data
processed through INTERPOL’s channels conforms to the rules of the
Organization.

 INTERPOL processes a large volume of personal data through notices and

databases on criminals and crimes, such as names, photos, identifying
features and fingerprints. The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s
Files (CCF) is an independent, impartial body, officially responsible for
ensuring that the processing of personal data by INTERPOL complies with the
applicable rules.
 The Commission has three functions, as defined in INTERPOL’s Constitution:
◘a supervisory role, ◘an advisory role, and ◘a processing role—in which it
handles individual’s requests for access to, correction of or deletion of data in
the INTERPOL Information System.
 While the Commission is an independent body of INTERPOL, cooperation
with other governing bodies and members of the Organization is essential for
 it to operate effectively. To perform its functions, the Commission directly
consults the INTERPOL General Secretariat, National Central Bureaus and
other relevant entities.

Activity 8. INTERPOL –Philippines. Conduct a research regarding INTERPOL-

Philippines, the function and composition of its NCB of its NCB, and its accomplishment if
there is any. Answer should not be less than 15 sentences but not to exceed 20.

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INTERPOL’s Four Core Functions

In order to achieve these aims, INTERPOL conducts all of its activities within the
framework of the following four ‘core services’ or ‘functions’:

I. To Secure Global Police Communications Services is a fundamental

condition for successful international police cooperation. It is essential for police
forces to be able to communicate with each other, worldwide, in ‘real time’, and
in a secure way. Realizing the dire need for improved means of communication
in today’s highly technical world, INTERPOL subsequently designed and
implemented a stateof-the-art global communications system for the law
enforcement community, called “I-24/7”. “I” stands for INTERPOL; 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week.

1. I-24/7

The I-24/7 system was created in January 2003, and is an

enhanced communication service and an innovative, user-friendly tool for
 international law enforcement. Information about suspected individuals
and groups and their activities is exchanged between INTERPOL’s
member countries and its General Secretariat in a fast, reliable and
secure manner. I-24/7 provides a creative, modern and sophisticated way
to make international law enforcement efforts more effective, and easier
to perform. This type of system and exchange of information is absolutely
essential in combating terrorism and other types of transnational crime.
The I-24/7 ‘dashboard’ is a unique gateway that provides access to
INTERPOL databases and contains a wealth of expert information on a
variety of crime issues. This makes I-24/7 an indispensable tool, not only
for the NCBs, but also for control, investigative and analytical units within
national police forces. Furthermore, through INTERPOL’s encouragement,
many NCBs – all of which are connected to the I-24/7 system - are now
extending I-24/7 access to additional authorized law enforcement
entities, such as border control units and customs officials. INTERPOL
continues to provide technical assistance and support to further
extending its I-24/7 system to additional authorized law-enforcement
organizations.

II. Operational Data Services and Databases for Police. In fighting

transnational crime, international police cooperation “lives” on information. This
means that without gathering and sharing information that is timely, accurate,
relevant and complete, cooperation is limited, if not impossible. INTERPOL has,
therefore, developed a broad range of global databases, incorporating key
information such as names of criminals and suspected individuals, fingerprints,
photographs, DNA profiles, requests for wanted persons, lost and stolen travel
documents, stolen vehicles, and weapons related to criminal cases. The
information contained in these databases can be critical to assisting member
countries in the event of terrorist incidents or related investigations. Analysis of
the information associated with these databases is also extremely beneficial to
achieving positive results in fighting and investigating terrorism cases,
particularly concerning making positive identifications.
INTERPOL’s databases include:

1. ASF Stolen/Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) Database

Terrorists and other serious criminals regularly use false documents to

travel, INTERPOL established its Stolen/Lost Travel Documents (SLTD)
database in 2002. This database has subsequently proven to be an effective
tool for intercepting such individuals when attempting to cross borders. Since
its creation, and across crime areas, the database has helped field officers
with innumerable cases of individuals using fraudulent travel documents. In
many cases where the documents were identified as lost or stolen, they were
ultimately linked to high-profile cases involving suspected terrorists and war
criminals.

2. Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)

Through the INTERPOL AFIS Expert Working Group (IAEWG), INTERPOL

promotes the use of standards for the capture, storage, and transmission of
fingerprints, electronically. The IAEWG’s focus is to provide general guidance
to countries/organizations acquiring, developing, integrating, and operating
national AFIS systems. The IAEWG actively promotes implementable
approaches to the international electronic exchange of fingerprint images and
data.

3. DNA

The external INTERPOL DNA Monitoring Expert Group (MEG) is the main
source of reference for the INTERPOL DNA Unit. The MEG acts as an advisory
board and provides expert guidance and direction for INTERPOL DNA policies
and projects

4. Stolen Vehicle Database

The INTERPOL General Secretariat developed the Automated Search

Facility-Stolen Motor Vehicle (ASF-SMV) database to support police in
member countries in the fight against international vehicle theft and
trafficking.
5. IWeTS

The INTERPOL Weapons electronic Tracing System (IWeTS), which is

currently in the development stage, is a tool which will provide Member
States with the capabilities to trace illicit firearms that are seized through law
enforcement investigations and activities in their countries.

6. Integrated Solutions to Access INTERPOL’s Databases –

FIND /MIND

In order to make reliable, accurate and up-to-date information available

to the front-line officers in real-time, INTERPOL has developed new
Integrated Solutions to allow for instant access for example to its database
on stolen and lost travel documents. This new technology called FIND / MIND
refers to the two different ways of connecting INTERPOL’s databases at
border entry points or other field locations.

7. INTERPOL Money Laundering Automated Search Service

(IMLASS)

The IMLASS project assists anti-money laundering and terrorism financing

investigators and analysts throughout the world to automatically compare
suspected money laundering and terrorism financing-related queries against
database records submitted by INTERPOL’s member countries. Queries
concerning money laundering-related targets, associates, companies, ID
documents, addresses, telephones and suspicious transaction data will then
be automatically compared with the existing data in INTERPOL database for
links with past and present investigations in other countries.

8. Border & Ports Security Center

To strengthen border protection, INTERPOL intends to establish a Border

and Ports Security Center at its General Secretariat in Lyon, France. The goal
of the Center will be to increase security at borders and all points of entry by
supporting member countries in the monitoring, prevention and investigation
of fraudulent and illegal activities in these areas.