What Is...An INTERPOL Red Notice
An INTERPOL “Red Notice” informs authorities in one country that those of another country are seeking the arrest of a particular person. A Red Notice, which is circulated electronically, contains information concerning the wanted person. The Notice contains two main types of information: Identity details which will include a physical description the name, date of birth, nationality, and where available, passport number, fingerprints and a photograph of the targeted individual. The Red Notice also includes a description of the offense with which the person is charged, references to the laws under which the charge is made or conviction was obtained. Also references to the arrest warrant or court sentence, etc. INTERPOL member countries will detain and report on such a person on sight to be handed over to the interested country, e.g., at border control, passport control, even traffic control.
Red Notice crimes vary in scope and gravity, some notices are issued for political, economic or reasons contradicting good faith, and it is possible to remove them before detention. There are a number of grounds for removal of Red Notices, and employing knowledgeable professional legal counsel can greatly assist in this matter. INTERPOL Red Notices are often the first indication that a person may be facing a potential extradition request.
The International Criminal Police Organization known as “INTERPOL” was established in 1923 to facilitate international law enforcement cooperation. INTERPOL currently has 195 member countries, making it the world’s largest police organization. Each member country hosts a National Central Bureau (NCB), which links the member countries national police forces with INTERPOL global network. These member countries “NCB” are often called INTERPOL – for example, the United Kingdom maintains its NCB in Manchester and is called INTERPOL Manchester. The United States maintains its NCB in Washington, D.C. and is called INTERPOL Washington. INTERPOL Washington is part of the United States Department of Justice and is co-managed by the Untied States Department of Homeland Security.
As all NCB’s link into INTERPOL’s global 1-24/7 information database system, it allows member countries to communicate and collaborate on transnational criminal matters with their counterparts around the world and to signal law enforcement to arrest a suspect, if found in one of its member nations. The information disseminated via Red Notices concerns individuals wanted for serious crimes and criminal prosecution. The information stored on INTERPOL’s databases can be seen by police and immigration authorities all over the world. The function of Red Notices is to “seek the location of a wanted person and his or her detention, arrest or restriction of movement for the purpose of extradition, surrender of similar lawful action, back to the requesting country.”
As information sharing technology has become more and more advanced, One of INTERPOL’s most important functions is to help police in its member countries share critical crime-related information using the INTERPOL 1-24/7 information database system. The past years have seen a dramatic increase in the issuance of Red Notices. Law enforcement authorities around the globe are put on notice to arrest the targeted individual. These individuals also often suffer the freezing of their assets, loss of employment, revocation of their visas and damage to their reputation.
Comparable in many ways to the INTERPOL Red Notice is another request for cooperation or alert mechanism known as a “Diffusion.” This is less formal than a Red Notice but is also used to request the arrest or location to a police investigation. A Diffusion is circulated directly by a member state or international entity to the countries of their choice, or to the entire INTERPOL membership and is simultaneously recorded in INTERPOL databases. Diffusions are frequently disseminated while the issuing member country awaits formal Red Notice approval. The major difference between a diffusion and a Red Notice is that the United Nations General Secretariat does not review or approve a diffusion prior to it being circulated to other member countries. The distinction between the two is critical. The lack of review may allow diffusions to be circulated that would otherwise be denied circulation if they were Red Notice requests.
Apart from an INTERPOL Red Notice - To seek the location and arrest of a person wanted by a legal jurisdiction or an international tribunal with a view to their extradition. There are several other types of INTERPOL color coded notices. Each color has specific crimes and conditions attached to it. These include: Blue Notice - To locate, identify or obtain information on a person of interest in a criminal investigation. Green Notice - To warn about a person’s criminal activities if that person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety. Yellow Notice - To locate a missing person or to identify a person unable to identify himself/herself. Black Notice - To seek information on unidentified bodies. Orange Notice - To warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing an imminent threat and danger to persons or property. Purple Notice - To provide information on modi operandi, procedures, objects, devices or hiding places used by criminals.
There is also an INTERPOL United Nations Security Council Special Notice - To inform INTERPOL’s members that an individual or an entity is subject to UN sanctions.
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