The European Revolution of 1848 (alternately known as the Spring of Nations or the Year of Revolution) brought about the emergence of INTERPOL. It is an international organization that monitors transnational crimes across the globe and facilitates international police cooperation. This article discusses the history of I NTERPOL, its structure, and its global role in law enforcement.
European Revolution of 1848
The European Revolution was a general discontent among the masses due to a widespread decline in traditional authority in which over 50 countries were involved. Among the leading countries of the revolution were France, Denmark, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Russia. In all of the countries, pivotal to the uprisings were people’s dissatisfaction with political leadership, agitations for freedom of the press, need for individuals’ participation in government and democracy, desire for humane treatment of workers, and high waves of the spirit of nationalism. Then came coalitions of weak reformers, middle-class individuals, and blue-collar workers who rose against the absolute monarchies and authoritarian political leaders. Tens of thousands of the revolutionaries were killed, and many others were forced into exile.
The unhealthy situation led to intra-European terrorism and assassination of political leaders. Thus, in 1914, a group of politicians, lawyers, police officers, and court judges from 14 European countries met in Monaco and held the first International Criminal Police Congress. This meeting lasted from April 14 through 18. Their intention was to establish an international criminal records office to keep track of international criminals and to bring some order and consensus among European nations in law enforcement. This 1914 Monaco Congress failed, however, because it was organized by lawyers and politicians instead of police professionals. A second International Criminal Police Congress was held in New York City in 1922. The 1922 New York City Congress also failed because it drew little international attention.
Emergence of INTERPOL
The plans of the First International Criminal Police Congress to start an International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) were interrupted by World War I (1914–1918). At the end of World War I, the professional police officials of 21 countries and territories held another International Criminal Police Congress in Vienna, Austria, in 1923. The purpose of this ICPC meeting was to find a way to respond to the enormous upsurge in international crime following the end of World War I. It was at the 1923 Vienna meeting that they established an ICPC.
The participants at the 1923 Vienna meeting wanted police organizations in all continents and island states around the world to be members of ICPC and invited them to join the international organization. The founding members of ICPC were Austria, Belgium, China, Poland, France, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Hungary.
In the design of the organization, ICPC did not want any state control. It simply wanted to be an autonomous international law enforcement coordinator for all member states and remain a nonpolitical organization. From 1923 to 1938, ICPC had 14 meetings as an international coordinator of national police institutions. Its operations were disrupted in 1938 when Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany invaded, conquered, and annexed Austria. At that time, the capital of ICPC was in Vienna, Austria. On the annexation of Austria, the Nazis moved the capital from Vienna to Berlin, Germany. When the Nazis launched World War II in 1939, it took absolute control of ICPC and managed it throughout the war period from 1939 to 1945. They arrested ICPC president Michael Skubl and incarcerated him (he was rescued when the Allied Forces defeated the Nazis).
After World War II, ICPC was in limbo. In 1946, a Belgian police officer, Florent Louwage, spurred other police officers to restart ICPC. The leading supporters of the Belgian initiative were France, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom. In this first post–World War II meeting were representatives from both prewar ICPC member states and non–prewar member states. They chose Saint-Cloud, France, as its new headquarters. In 1989, it was moved to Lyon, France, which remains its headquarters.
In 1956, ICPC was renamed the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO), and ICPOINTERPOL was chosen as the organization’s telegraphic address (often shortened to INTERPOL). INTERPOL began to collect dues from its member countries and also subsisted on gifts and investments.
Internal Organization
INTERPOL’s roles and operations are clearly defined by the general provisions of its constitution. The ICPO-INTERPOL Constitution was adopted in 1956 by the General Assembly at its 25th session held in Vienna, Austria.
General Provisions
Article 1 through Article 4 of the ICPOINTERPOL Constitution outlines the organization’s General Provisions. It provides that the official location of its operations shall be in France. The purpose of the organization is 2-fold. First, it is to promote mutual assistance among all criminal police units, within the limits of member countries’ laws, and in the spirit of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Second, it is to establish institutions that will contribute to the prevention and suppression of ordinary crimes. INTERPOL forbids itself from taking any part in political, military, religious, or racial issues. Member states can delegate police officials whose duties fall within the activities of INTERPOL. Countries that want to be members of INTERPOL can request to do so through the Secretary General of the organization. Membership must be approved by a two-thirds majority of INTERPOL’s General Assembly.
Organizational Structure
The ICPO-INTERPOL Constitution outlines the organization’s structure and roles. These include the General Assembly, Executive Committee, General Secretariat, National Central Bureaus, INTERPOL Advisers, and the Commission for the Control of Files.
General Assembly
The supreme authority of INTERPOL lies in the General Assembly. It is made up of delegates from member states of INTERPOL. Each state can be represented by one or more delegates but must have only one delegation head, who is appointed by a competent authority in the country. Given the technical nature of INTERPOL, states are advised to include among its delegates high-level officials from government departments dealing with police matters, officials whose duties are connected with those of INTERPOL, or government officials who have a specialty in the agenda of the particular INTERPOL session or conference.
The General Assembly carries out duties as specified in INTERPOL’s Constitution, specifically in Article 8. It sets out ground rules and suitable means to reach the organization’s objectives, approves program activities for each year prepared by the Secretary General, and determines other necessary regulations. The General Assembly elects individuals to carry out certain duties, adopts resolutions, and makes recommendations to member states on issues that INTERPOL is competent to make. It also forges the financial policy of INTERPOL and approves agreements with other organizations.
Member states are required to carry out the decisions of the General Assembly. The General Assembly is expected to meet every year in an ordinary session and may meet in an extraordinary session at the request of the Executive Committee or the majority of the member states. During any session, the General Assembly is empowered to set up special committees to handle particular issues. It can decide to hold regional conferences between two General Assembly sessions.
In General Assembly deliberations, only one delegate from each member state has a right to vote. Decisions are made by a simple majority, with the exception of situations when the Constitution specifies a two-thirds majority.
Executive Committee
INTERPOL’s roles are piloted by an Executive Committee of 13 members. It is chaired by the president of INTERPOL. The Executive Committee is made up of the president, three vice presidents, and nine delegates. The 13 members of the Executive Committee are required to come from different countries, and global distribution of the members is duly expected. A term on the Executive Committee is for 3 years, and delegates are not immediately eligible for reelection to the same posts.
The Executive Committee makes sure that the General Assembly’s decisions are carefully carried out. This body prepares the agenda for sessions of the General Assembly. It initiates programs and projects it deems necessary and submits them to the General Assembly. It supervises the duties of the Secretary General, and it exercises all powers and authority delegated to it by the General Assembly.
Delegates to the General Assembly session elect the president and the three vice presidents from among themselves. For the election of the president, specifically, a two-thirds majority is required. If the two-thirds majority is not obtained after the second ballot, a simple majority will be deemed expedient. The president of INTERPOL presides over the meetings of the General Assembly and those of the Executive Committee. It is the president’s responsibility to see that INTERPOL’s activities conform to the decisions of the General Assembly and Executive Committee. The president is required to convene a meeting of the Executive Committee at least once a year and be in constant communication with the secretary general of INTERPOL.
General Secretariat
The General Secretariat is a permanent administrative department of INTERPOL, headed by the Secretary General. It includes the Secretary General, as well as technical and administrative staff.
The Executive Committee nominates the Secretary General and submits his or her name to the General Assembly, who can then approve the nomination for a 5-year term. The Secretary General, chosen from among persons who are highly experienced and competent in police matters, is the chief administrative officer of INTERPOL. He or she directs the staff, prepares the organization’s annual budget, and organizes and directs INTERPOL’s permanent units according to the orders of the General Assembly or Executive Committee.
The Secretary General submits all proposals and projects concerning INTERPOL to the Executive Committee. This individual is responsible for the Executive Committee and the General Assembly. The Secretary General participates in the discussions of the Executive Committee, the General Assembly, and other dependent bodies of the organization. The Secretary General, in the execution of his or her duties, represents INTERPOL and not his or her country of origin.
The Secretary General and his staff are prohibited from soliciting or accepting instructions or orders from any government or authority outside of INTERPOL. They are to abstain from any activity that may prejudice their international responsibilities. Member states are prohibited from taking any action to influence the Secretary General and his or her staff in the discharge of their duties and are required to assist them in the execution of their duties.
National Central Bureaus
INTERPOL discharges its functions through National Central Bureaus. One of the mechanisms it uses to achieve its mission and speed up communication and cooperation among its members is the establishment of the National Central Bureau in each member state. These bureaus are staffed with highly trained and experienced law enforcement officers and are established to help member states in the prevention and control of transnational crimes in their localities.
INTERPOL Advisers
INTERPOL has a board of advisors whom it consults in some scientific matters and other matters related to crime prevention and control. These individuals are appointed for a term of 3 years by the Executive Committee, contingent upon the approval by the General Assembly. They are chosen from among persons who have proven reputations in fields of interest to INTERPOL operations.
Commission for the Control of Files
The commission for control of files is made up of five members appointed for a term of 3 years. This is an independent entity for processing personal information to confirm that individuals are complying with the rules and regulations established by INTERPOL.
INTERPOL Treasury and Resources
INTERPOL’s operating budget comes from financial contributions of its member states. Second sources of revenue include gifts, bequests, subsidies, grants, and other resources. The Executive Committee must approve and accept any secondary sources of revenue. This is to avoid receiving gifts from organizations that could inject corruption into INTERPOL.
Scope of INTERPOL Operations
INTERPOL’s primary aim is to support its member states’ police services in their fight to prevent crime and execute criminal investigation effectively. In this venture, with the cooperation of the National Central Bureaus, INTERPOL speeds up cross-border police cooperation and assists the organizations and authorities whose mission is to prevent and control crime of all types. To achieve its aim, INTERPOL carries out its activities in four core functions:
- secure global police communications services
- operational data services and databases for police
- operational police support services
- training and development
Secure Global Police Communications Services
International police cooperation is built on constant adequate and successful communication. INTERPOL observed that successful global law enforcement goal requires a strong network of speedy communication. In effect, INTERPOL capitalized on modern advanced information systems and designed a state-of-the-art global communications system for law enforcement society. This system is called I-24/7, which stands for INTERPOL-24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Operational Data Services and Databases for Police
The second core service of INTERPOL is operational data services and databases for police. INTERPOL developed a broad range of global databases that incorporates important information, such as names of criminals and suspected persons, fingerprints, photographs, deoxyribonucleic acid profiles, requests for wanted persons, lost and stolen travel documents, stolen vehicles, and weapons related to criminal cases. These types of information keep transnational criminals nervous about engaging in some international crimes because they increase the chance of being caught.
Operational Police Support Services
Operational Police Support Services is INTERPOL’s third core service to member states. The word support here simply means that member states can make use of INTERPOL’s expert knowledge in law enforcement. Through the national central bureaus and regional offices, INTERPOL responds quickly to the needs of its members. This led to development of emergency support and operational activities based on the member states’ priority crime areas, be it drugs and organized crime, terrorism and public safety, fugitives, human trafficking, or financial and high-tech crimes. Additionally, support services include collection, analysis, and evaluation of information received from member states by INTERPOL’s headquarters. INTERPOL also extends support to its member states by sending police officers with special law enforcement skills to investigate sites.
In fighting terrorism, INTERPOL uses the following forms of notices:
- Red Notice: This signifies seeking the arrest of a wanted person, with a view to extradition. This notice may serve as a provisional arrest warrant depending upon the country involved.
- Blue Notice: This is used to collect more information about a person’s location, identity, and/or illegal activities in relation to a criminal matter. This notice enhances the identification of a terrorism suspect.
- Green Notice: This is used to provide criminal intelligence about persons who have committed criminal offenses and are likely to repeat the crimes in other countries. This notice is an alert signal for calling attention to criminals.
- Orange Notice: This is used to warn police, related security entities, and other international organizations of possible threats from hidden weapons, parcel bombs, and other dangerous items or materials, such as those that can be used in a terrorist attack.
Training and Development
Finally, INTERPOL’s fourth core service is Training and Development. This division of INTERPOL’s goals functions and plays a significant role in overall mission of the organization to achieve international police cooperation. This Training and Development division of I NTERPOL’s goals helps member states to improve their law enforcement skills and strategies.
INTERPOL is always helping member states to improve their police training in their own institutions. Additionally, INTERPOL provides various transnational crime-fighting techniques to all member states, international law enforcement organizations, and its United Nations partners.
References:
- Anderson, M. (1989). Policing the world: INTERPOL and the politics of international police cooperation. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.
- Ebbe, O. N. I. (2013). INTERPOL and international police cooperation. In O. N. I. Ebbe (Ed.), Comparative and international criminal justice systems: Policing, judiciary and corrections (3rd ed., pp. 151–159). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
- Fooner, M. (1973). INTERPOL: The inside story of the international crime-fighting organization. Chicago, IL: Henry Regney.
- Garrison, O. V. (1976). The secret world of INTERPOL. New York, NY: Ralston-Pilot.
- Lavey, D. (1989). INTERPOL. Fostering international cooperation. Police Chief, 56(3), 46–49.