Interpol | International Criminal Police Organization

Our full name is International Criminal Police Organization, and we are an intergovernmental organization. We have 195 member countries, and we help police from all of them work together to make the world a safer place.

We do this by enabling them to share and access data on crime and criminals, and by providing a range of technical and operational support.

Who makes up Interpol?

The General Secretariat coordinates our day-to-day activities against a range of crimes. Managed by the Secretary-General, it is made up of police and civilian staff and includes a headquarters in Lyon, a global innovation center in Singapore, and several branches in different regions.

In each country, the Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) provides a central point of contact for the General Secretariat and other National Central Bureaux. The NCB is managed by national police officials and is usually part of the government department responsible for policing.

The General Assembly is our governing body, which brings all countries together to make decisions every year.

We connect all countries through a communication system called I-24/7. Countries use this secure network to connect with each other and with the General Secretariat. It also allows them to access our databases and services in real time from central and remote locations.

We also coordinate networks of police and experts in different areas of crime, who come together through working groups and conferences to share experiences and ideas.

The General Secretariat provides a range of expertise and services to our member states. We manage 19 police databases containing information on crimes and criminals (from names and fingerprints to stolen passports) that are accessible to countries in real time.

We provide investigative support such as forensics, analysis, and assistance in finding fugitives around the world. Training is an important part of what we do in many areas so that officers know how to work effectively with our services.

This expertise supports countries' efforts to fight crime in three of the global areas we consider to be the most pressing today; terrorism, cybercrime, and organized crime.

Officers working in each specialized area of ​​crime carry out a variety of different activities with member states. This can be investigative support, field operations, training, and networking.

Importantly, as crime is constantly evolving, we keep an eye on the future through research and development on international crime and trends.

Crime today is increasingly international. It is vital that there is coordination between all the different players in maintaining the global security architecture.

As INTERPOL is a global organisation, it can provide this platform for collaboration; we enable police to work directly with their counterparts, even between countries that do not have diplomatic relations.

We also provide a voice for police on the world stage, engaging with governments at the highest levels to encourage this collaboration and the use of our services.

All our actions are politically neutral and are taken within the existing laws of different countries.