INTERPOL

M. Aamir Sultan

The official abbreviation

The official abbreviations are: 'O.I.P.C.', which stands for 'Organization internationale de police criminelle' 'ICPO', which stands for 'International Criminal Police Organization'.

The official name is 'ICPO-INTERPOL'

The word 'INTERPOL' is a contraction of 'international police', and was chosen in 1946 as the telegraphic address. In 1956, the International Criminal Police Commission changed its name to become the International Criminal Police Organization - INTERPOL. INTERPOL is the worlds largest international police organization, with 187 member countries. Created in 1923, it facilitates cross-border police co-operation, and supports and assists all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is to prevent or combat international crime. The organization's headquarters are in Lyon, France. It is the second largest intergovernmental organization; after the United Nations. Interpol was founded in Austria in 1923 as the International Criminal Police (ICP). Following the Anschluss (Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany) in 1938, the organization fell under the control of Nazi Germany and the Commission's headquarters were eventually moved to Berlin in 1942. After the end of World War II in 1945, the organization was revived as the International Criminal Police Organization by European Allies of World War II officials from Belgium, France, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. Its new headquarters were established in Saint-Cloud, a town on the outskirts of Paris. They remained there until 1989, when they were moved to their present location, Lyon. INTERPOL aims to facilitate international police co-operation even where diplomatic relations do not exist between particular countries. Action is taken within the limits of existing laws in different countries and in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. INTERPOLs constitution prohibits any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.

INTERPOLs Members
Founding Members
Some of the founding members of INTERPOL are as follows: Austria Belgium China Egypt France Germany Switzerland United States of America

Yugoslavia

Pakistan May 1952 India October 1949

INTERPOLs Four Core Functions

INTERPOLs activities are all based on the following four 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.

I-24/7 was created in 2003, with Canada being the first country to connect to the system. The final of INTERPOL's 187 member countries to join was Somalia, which was connected on 10 July 2007. Operational data services and databases for police INTERPOLs 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. 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. INTERPOL provides operational support to its National Central Bureaus and regional offices with the aim of enabling them to work as efficiently as possible. This support is centred on the Organizations priority crime areas: fugitives, public safety and terrorism, drugs and organized crime, trafficking in human beings and financial and high-tech crime. 24-hour support Crisis response and major events International alert system Analyzing crime data Police training and development INTERPOL provides focused police training initiatives for national police forces, and also offers ondemand advice, guidance and support in building dedicated crime-fighting components. The aim is to enhance the capacity of member countries to effectively combat serious trans-national crime and terrorism. This includes sharing knowledge, skills and best practices in policing through INTERPOL channels and the establishment of global standards on how to combat specific forms of crimes.

INTERPOLs six priority crime areas

Drugs Drug abuse and the problems associated with it continue to grow in most parts of the world. The drug trade involves growers, producers, couriers, suppliers, dealers and users and affects people in almost all of INTERPOLs 187 member countries. INTERPOLs primary drug-control role is to identify new drug trafficking trends and criminal organizations operating at the international level and to assist all national and international law enforcement bodies concerned with countering the illicit production, trafficking and abuse of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and synthetic drugs. Criminal Organizations Interpol acts as a central repository for professional and technical expertise on transnational organized crime and as a clearinghouse for the collection, collation, analysis and dissemination of information relating to organized crime and criminal organizations. It also monitors the organized crime situation on a global basis and co-ordinates international investigations. Financial and High-Tech Crimes Financial and high-tech crimes currency counterfeiting, money laundering, intellectual property crime, payment card fraud, computer virus attacks and cyber-terrorism, for example can affect all levels of society. INTERPOLs chief initiatives in the area of financial and high-tech crime focus on: Currency counterfeiting and money laundering have the potential to destabilize national economies and threaten global security, as these activities are sometimes used by terrorists and other dangerous criminals to finance their activities or conceal their profits. Intellectual property crime is a serious financial concern for car manufacturers, luxury goods makers, media firms and drug companies. Most alarmingly, counterfeiting endangers public health, especially in developing countries, where the World Health Organization estimates more than 60 per cent of pharmaceuticals are fake. Spam is becoming more than just a nuisance for Internet users, as criminals are using it in increasingly sophisticated ways to defraud consumers, cripple computer systems and release viruses.

New technologies open up many possibilities for criminals to carry out traditional financial crimes in new ways. One notable example is phishing, whereby a criminal attempts to acquire through email or instant messaging sensitive information such as passwords or credit card details by pretending to be a legitimate business representative. With this information, the criminal can commit fraud and even money laundering. Fugitive Investigative Services One of the most important fields of activity of the global law enforcement community today is the apprehension of wanted persons. Fugitives pose a serious threat to public safety worldwide. They are mobile and opportunistic; they frequently finance their continued flight from the law through further criminal activities, which may result in criminal charges in more than one country. Trafficking In Human Beings INTERPOL aims to end the abuse and exploitation of human beings for financial gain. Women from developing countries and young children all over the world are especially vulnerable to trafficking, smuggling or sexual exploitation. Trafficking in women for sexual exploitation People smuggling Child sexual exploitation Corruption Corruption undermines political, social and economic stability. It threatens security and damages trust and public confidence in systems which affect peoples daily lives. Although corruption frequently occurs at local or national level, its consequences are global; its hidden costs immense. INTERPOL and Corruption As the worlds largest international police organization, INTERPOL is taking its place at the forefront of the fight against corruption. Corruption is one of INTERPOLs six priority crime areas.