INTERPOL
Definition
International Criminal Police Organization: the intergovernmental body, headquartered in Lyon, that facilitates police cooperation across 196 member countries through databases, communications infrastructure, and operational coordination.
- Full name
- International Criminal Police Organization
- Headquarters
- Lyon, France
- Member countries
- 195
- Functions
- Databases, communications infrastructure, operational coordination
Common questions
Does INTERPOL have its own agents who can arrest suspects across borders?+
No, INTERPOL has no independent police force or arrest authority. It facilitates cooperation between member countries' national police agencies through shared databases, notices, and communication channels, but the actual arrest and enforcement action is carried out by domestic law enforcement.
What kinds of forensic data does INTERPOL's infrastructure support beyond DNA?+
Beyond the DNA Gateway, INTERPOL maintains databases covering fingerprints, stolen and lost travel documents, facial recognition, and stolen works of art, alongside its well-known coloured notice system used to request international cooperation on wanted or missing persons.
Related terms
- ENFSI
- European Network of Forensic Science Institutes: the voluntary network of national forensic institutes across Europe and neighbouring regions, focused on method harmonisation,...
- ILAC
- The International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, the global network of accreditation bodies. ILAC's Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) means a result produced by an...
- OSAC
- Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science: established by NIST and DOJ in 2014, it develops consensus forensic standards through structured...
- SDO
- Standards Development Organisation: a body with formal processes for publishing consensus standards. ASTM International, ANSI, and BSI are examples. OSAC submits its...
- SWG (Scientific Working Group)
- US discipline-specific committees that produced best-practice guidelines for forensic science from the 1990s onward. Most SWGs were absorbed into or superseded by...