Interpol - History, Member countries, Interpol in popular culture

Originally the telegraphic address, adopted in 1946, of the International Criminal Police Organization (earlier, Commission), initiated by Prince Albert I of Monaco in 1914. The address became widely used as a name, and was formally incorporated into the organization's title in 1956 as ICPO–Interpol. It is an international organization which exists to promote international co-operation in law enforcement. Member states are linked by a sophisticated, secure messaging system, and have direct access to specially designed international law enforcement databases, to assist national police forces with international enquiries. Interpol manages and stores information on behalf of its members, and also provides criminal analysis services from its own global viewpoint. A key factor in international co-operation is understanding the different legal frameworks within which national police forces work; Interpol works to promote harmonization in this area, and offers model legislation on such topics as extradition. Based in Lyon, France, it had 184 members in 2004.

For other uses, see Interpol (disambiguation).

International Criminal Police Organization
Interpol
Headquarters	Lyon, France
Membership	186 member states
Official languages	Arabic, English, French and Spanish
Secretary-General	Ronald K. Noble
Formation	1923
Official website	Interpol's official website

Interpol (or International Criminal Police Organization) was created in 1923 to assist international criminal police co-operation.

Interpol is the world's third largest international organization, after the United Nations and FIFA;

Because of the politically neutral role Interpol must play, its constitution forbids any involvement in crimes that do not overlap several member countries, or any political, military, religious, or racial crimes.

In 2005, the Interpol General Secretariat employed a staff of 502, representing 78 member countries.

History

Interpol was founded in Austria in 1923 as the International Criminal Police Commission.

Senior military officials from Belgium, France, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom reorganized Interpol into today's organization. The NCB is the designated contact point for the Interpol General Secretariat, regional bureaus and other member countries requiring assistance with overseas investigations and the location and apprehension of fugitives.

Interpol maintains a large database charting unsolved crimes and both convicted and alleged criminals. At any time, a member nation has access to specific sections of the database and its police forces are encouraged to check information held by Interpol whenever a major crime is committed.

Since 2002 Interpol has also been maintaining a database of lost and stolen identification and travel documents allowing member countries to validate whether a document issued by another country has been invalidated by the issuing authority due to being reported missing or stolen.

A member nation's police force can contact one or more member nations by sending a message relayed through Interpol.

Member countries

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Democratic Republic of Congo Costa Rica Ivory Coast Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark

Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland Republic of Macedonia France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Republic of Korea Kuwait Kyrgyzstan

Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal

Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis St Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia San Marino Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

Interpol in popular culture

Contrary to what has been featured in some works of fiction, Interpol officers do not directly conduct inquiries in member countries.

As an international law enforcement agency, Interpol agents offer unique qualities that make them good candidates for fiction, even if it does not reflect reality.

Some examples:

In the Lupin III franchise, Lupin's eternal foil, Inspector Zenigata, is an agent of Interpol.