INTERPOL Information

The world’s largest police organization, INTERPOL’s mission is to assist law enforcement agencies in each of its 196 member countries to combat all forms of transnational crime. Guided by four core functions, INTERPOL provides a high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support to enable police forces around the world to meet the growing challenges of crime in the 21st century. The General Secretariat in Lyon, France, is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing a central contact point for the National Central Bureau (NCB) in every member country for assistance or information on cross-border investigations. All NCBs are connected to each other and the General Secretariat through I-24/7, INTERPOL’s secure global police communications system, which also enables law enforcement officers to directly check a range of vital police databases. INTERPOL uses a system of colour-coded international notices to locate, arrest or provide warnings about fugitives and other criminals.