Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, helps police forces around the world work together to fight crime that crosses borders. Its notices often make news when fugitives flee abroad. Here is how it works.
About Interpol
Interpol was founded in 1923 in Vienna as the International Criminal Police Commission. Its headquarters is now in Lyon, France. It has 196 member countries, making it one of the largest international organisations.
What Interpol does
- Shares information and databases on criminals, stolen documents, stolen vehicles, fingerprints and DNA.
- Issues notices to alert police across countries.
- Supports investigations into terrorism, cybercrime, drug trafficking, human trafficking and financial crime.
- Trains police officers.
Interpol does not have its own agents who arrest people. Arrests are made by national police under their own laws.
National Central Bureaus
Every member country has a National Central Bureau (NCB) that links its police with Interpol. In India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the NCB.
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Colour coded notices
- Red Notice: a request to locate and provisionally arrest a person wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence, pending extradition.
- Yellow Notice: to help locate missing persons, often children.
- Blue Notice: to collect information about a person’s identity, location or activities.
- Black Notice: to seek information on unidentified bodies.
- Green Notice: to warn about a person’s criminal activities.
- Orange Notice: to warn of an event, person or object posing a serious threat.
- Purple Notice: to share information on criminal methods.
- Silver Notice: introduced as a pilot in 2025 to help trace criminal assets.
Interpol also issues special notices with the UN Security Council for individuals and groups under UN sanctions.
Is a Red Notice an arrest warrant
No. A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant. Each country decides whether to act on it under its own laws. Interpol’s constitution bars it from activities of a political, military, religious or racial character.
India and Interpol
- The CBI handles requests for notices from Indian agencies.
- India hosted the Interpol General Assembly in New Delhi in 2022.
- In January 2025, the CBI launched the BHARATPOL portal to speed up requests for international police help from Indian agencies.
Databases that help daily policing
Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database holds records of passports and ID cards reported missing worldwide. Border agencies check passports against it to catch people travelling on stolen documents. Other databases cover stolen motor vehicles, works of art and firearms.
Bottom line
Interpol is a global network that helps police share information and track fugitives. Its Red Notices are powerful alerts, but arrests depend on each country’s laws.
Source / स्रोत: Interpol, Central Bureau of Investigation, Ministry of Home Affairs
