Interpol
Interpol’s Leadership
The President of Interpol and the Secretary General work closely together in providing strong leadership and direction to the Organization.
Interpol’s Structure : (See chart at right)
As defined in Article 5 of its Constitution, Interpol (whose correct full name is 'The International Criminal Police Organization – Interpol’) comprises the following:
--General Assembly
--Executive Committee
--General Secretariat
--National Central Bureaus
--Advisers
The General Assembly and the Executive Committee form the organization’s Governance.
General Assembly - Interpol’s supreme governing body, it meets annually and comprises delegates appointed by each member country. The assembly takes all important decisions related to policy, resources, working methods, finances, activities and programmes.
Executive Committee – this 13-member committee is elected by the General Assembly, and comprises the president, three vice-presidents and nine delegates covering the four regions.
General Secretariat - located in Lyon, France, the General Secretariat operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is run by the Secretary General. Officials from more than 80 countries work side-by-side in any of the organization’s four official languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish. The Secretariat has six regional offices; in Argentina, C ôte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Kenya, Thailand and Zimbabwe, and a liaison office at the United Nations in New York.
National Central Bureaus (NCB) - Each Interpol member country maintains a National Central Bureau staffed by national law enforcement officers. The NCB is the designated contact point for the General Secretariat, regional offices and other member countries requiring assistance with overseas investigations and the location and apprehension of fugitives.
Advisers – these are experts in a purely advisory capacity, who may be appointed by the Executive Committee and confirmed by the General Assembly.
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Interpol’s three core functions
Interpol’s activities are all based on the following three core functions:
Secure global police communication services
Interpol runs a global police communications system called I-24/7, which provides police around the world with a common platform through which they can share crucial information about criminals and criminality.
Read more about I-24/7 and communications
Operational data services and databases for police
Interpol’s databases and services ensure that police worldwide have access to the information and services they need to prevent and investigate crimes. Databases include data on criminals such as names, fingerprints and DNA profiles, and stolen property such as passports, vehicles and works of art.
Read more about data services and databases.
Operational police support services
Interpol supports law enforcement officials in the field with emergency support and operational activities, especially in its priority crime areas of fugitives, public safety and terrorism, drugs and organized crime, trafficking in human beings and financial and high-tech crime. A Command and Co-ordination Centre operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Read more about operational police support services (go to above URL)
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General Secretariat:
Located in Lyon, France, the General Secretariat operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Officials from more than 80 countries work side-by-side in any of the organization’s four official languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
The Secretariat has six regional offices; in Argentina, Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Kenya, Thailand and Zimbabwe, and a liaison office at the United Nations in New York.
The current Secretary General is Ronald K. Noble, serving a second term from 2005-2010.
Read more about the role of the Secretary General
Read the profile of Ronald K. Noble
Structure of the General Secretariat (See chart #2 at right)
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Secretary General
Current Secretary General is Ronald K. Noble
The General Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General of the Organization, who is appointed by the General Assembly for a period of 5 years. He may be re-elected.
The Secretary General is effectively the Organization’s chief full-time official. He is responsible for seeing that the day-to-day work of international police co-operation is carried out, and the implementation of the decisions of the General Assembly and Executive Committee.
The role is defined in the Constitution, in particular, Articles 28, 29 and 30. The General Regulations stipulate the broad framework for the election of the Secretary General in Articles 42, 43 and 44.
Profile of Secretary General Ronald K. Noble
Former Secretaries General
A brief history of Interpol
Read speeches delivered by the Secretary General
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Interpol history
A brief history of Interpol
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1914: First International Criminal Police Congress held in Monaco. Police officers, lawyers and magistrates from 14 countries meet to discuss arrest procedures, identification techniques, centralised international criminal records and extradition proceedings.
1923: Creation of the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on the initiative of Dr. Johannes Schober, president of the Vienna Police. Wanted persons notices first published in Interpol’s International Public Safety Journal.
1925: The General Assembly, meeting in Berlin, proposes for each country to establish a central point of contact within its police structure, the forerunner of the National Central Bureau (NCB).
1927: Resolution to establish NCBs adopted.
1930: Specialised departments to deal with currency counterfeiting, criminal records and passport forgery established.
1932: Following the death of Dr. Schober, new statutes put in place creating the post of Secretary General. The first was Austrian Police Commissioner Michael Skubl.
1935: Interpol international radio network launched.
1938: The Nazis assume control after deposing of Secretary General Michael Skubl. Most countries stop participating and ICPC effectively ceases to exist as an international organization.
1942: ICPC falls completely under German control and is relocated to Berlin.
1946: Belgium leads the rebuilding of the organization after the end of World War II. A new headquarters set up in Paris, and ‘Interpol’ chosen as the organization’s telegraphic address. Democratic process to elect the President and Executive Committee instituted. Present Interpol colour-coded notice system initiated and first Red Notices for persons wanted internationally issued.
1949: The United Nations grants Interpol consultative status as a non-governmental organization .
1956: Following the adoption of a modernised constitution, the ICPC becomes the International Criminal Police Organization-Interpol, abbreviated to ICPO-Interpol or just Interpol. The organization becomes autonomous by collecting dues from member countries and relying on investments as the main means of support.
1958: Contributions of member countries revised and financial regulations adopted.
1963: First regional conference held, in Monrovia, Liberia
1965: The General Assembly sets out operating policies for NCBs.
1971: The United Nations recognises Interpol as an intergovernmental organization.
1972: A Headquarters Agreement with France recognises Interpol as an international organization.
1982: General Assembly approves a revised Headquarters Agreement which mandates the creation of an independent body to monitor the implementation of Interpol’s internal rules in relation to data protection. This will become the Commission for the Control of Interpol Files in 2003.
1989: Interpol moves its General Secretariat to Lyon, France.
1990: The X.400 communication system launched, enabling NCBs to send electronic messages to each other and to the General Secretariat directly.
1992: An automated search facility for remote searches of Interpol databases introduced.
1998: Interpol Criminal Information System (ICIS) database created.
2002: The I-24/7 web-based communication system launched, significantly improving NCBs’ access to Interpol’s databases and services. Canada is the first country to connect to the system. Database of stolen and lost travel documents launched.
2003: A Command and Co-ordination Centre created at the General Secretariat, enabling the organization to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
2004: Interpol liaison office inaugurated at the United Nations in New York and first Special Representative appointed.
2005: First Interpol-United Nations Special Notices issued for individuals subject to UN sanctions against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Former Secretaries General
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1985-2000 Raymond Kendall (UK)
1978-1985 André Bossard (France)
1963-1978 Jean Népote (France)
1951-1963 Marcel Sicot (France)
1946-1951 Louis Ducloux (France)
1932-1946 Oskar Dressler (Austria)*
* Oskar Dressler was originally appointed Secretary to the International Police Congress in 1923. He continued in this position until appointed to a new post of Secretary General, created by Article 5 of the revised statutes of 1932.
Former Presidents of Interpol
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2000-2004 M. Jesús Espigares-Mira (Spain)
1996-2000 M. Toshinori Kanemoto (Japan)
1994-1996 M. Björn Eriksson (Sweden)
1992-1994 M. Norman D. Inkster (Canada)
1988-1992 M. Ivan Barbot (France)
1984-1988 M. John R. Simpson (USA)
1980-1984 M. Jolly R. Bugarin (the Philippines)
1976-1980 M. Carl. G. Persson (Sweden)
1972-1976 M. William Léonard Higgitt (Canada)
1968-1972 M. Paul Dickopf (FRG)
1964-1968 M. Firmin Franssen (Belgium)
1963-1964 M. Fjalar Jarva (Finland)
1960-1963 Sir Richard L. Jackson (United-Kingdom)
1956-1960 M. Agostinho Lourenco (Portugal)
1946-1956 M. Florent Louwage (Belgium)
1943-1945 M. Ernst Kaltenbrunner (Germany)
1942-1943 M. Arthur Nebe (Germany)
1940-1942 M. Reinhard Heydrich (Germany)
1938-1940 M. Otto Steinhäusl (Austria)
1935-1938 M. Michael Skubl (Austria)
1934- 1935 M. Eugen Seydel (Austria)
1932- 1934 M. Franz Brandl (Austria)
1923-1932 M. Johan Schober (Austria)
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Interpol member countries (186)
A Afghanistan | Albania | Algeria | Andorra | Angola | Antigua & Barbuda | Argentina | Armenia | Aruba | Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan
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B Bahamas | Bahrain | Bangladesh | Barbados | Belarus | Belgium | Belize | Benin | Bhutan | Bolivia | Bosnia - Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | Brunei | Bulgaria | Burkina - Faso | Burundi
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C Cambodia | Cameroon | Canada | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | Chile | China | Colombia | Comoros | Congo | Congo (Democratic Rep.) | Costa Rica | Côte d'Ivoire | Croatia | Cuba | Cyprus | Czech Republic
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D Denmark | Djibouti | Dominica | Dominican Republic
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E Ecuador | Egypt | El Salvador | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Estonia | Ethiopia
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F Fiji | Finland | Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia | France
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G Gabon | Gambia | Georgia | Germany | Ghana | Greece | Grenada | Guatemala | Guinea | Guinea Bissau | Guyana
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H Haiti | Honduras | Hungary
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I Iceland | India | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq | Ireland | Israel | Italy
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J Jamaica | Japan | Jordan
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K Kazakhstan | Kenya | Korea (Rep. of) |Kuwait | Kyrgyzstan
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L Laos | Latvia | Lebanon | Lesotho | Liberia | Libya | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg
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M Madagascar | Malawi | Malaysia | Maldives | Mali | Malta | Marshall Islands | Mauritania | Mauritius | Mexico | Moldova | Monaco | Mongolia | Montenegro | Morocco | Mozambique | Myanmar
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N Namibia | Nauru | Nepal | Netherlands | Netherlands Antilles | New Zealand | Nicaragua | Niger | Nigeria | Norway
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O Oman
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P Pakistan | Panama | Papua New Guinea |Paraguay | Peru | Philippines | Poland | Portugal
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Q Qatar
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R Romania | Russia | Rwanda
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S St Kitts & Nevis | St Lucia | St Vincent & the Grenadines | San Marino | Sao Tome & Principe | Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Serbia | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | Somalia | South Africa | Spain | Sri Lanka | Sudan | Suriname | Swaziland | Sweden | Switzerland | Syria
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T Tajikistan | Tanzania | Thailand | Timor - Leste | Togo | Tonga | Trinidad & Tobago | Tunisia | Turkey | Turkmenistan
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U Uganda | Ukraine | United Arab Emirates | United Kingdom | United States | Uruguay | Uzbekistan
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V Venezuela | Vietnam
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Y Yemen
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Z Zambia | Zimbabwe
Sub-Bureaus
United Kingdom: Bermuda | Gibraltar | Cayman Islands | Anguilla | Montserrat | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos
United States: Puerto Rico | American Samoa
China: Hong Kong, Macao