INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries. Our role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Our high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.
This is where you will find the latest news and multimedia from INTERPOL. Read our media releases, news stories and speeches; see the Organization in action through videos and photo galleries; and download our fact sheets, brochures and annual reports.
At INTERPOL today, we have a strong network of 190 member countries, each represented by a National Central Bureau and committed on a daily basis to international police co-operation.
Our global police communications channels and internationally recognized alert systems allow police around the world to share data instantly and securely. A 24-hour contact point and specialized teams provide targeted support to serious crime or disaster incidents.
Databases
The success of international police investigations is dependent upon the availability of up-to-date, global data.
At INTERPOL, we provide our member countries with instant, direct access to a number of criminal databases. These contain millions of records, contributed by countries across the world.
Maximizing the reach
All databases (except the one of child sexual exploitation images) are accessible real-time through the I-24/7 network which connects all INTERPOL National Central Bureaus (NCBs).
We are developing web server solutions to extend access beyond our NCBs to frontline law enforcement officers, such as border guards, allowing them to search the databases on wanted persons, stolen and lost travel documents and stolen motor vehicles.
I-link is a new operating system, being continually developed to improve the quality and uniformity of data, and to enable investigators to make links between cases that would not previously have been apparent.
Main databases
| Nominal Data – contains more than 155,000 records on known international criminals, missing persons and dead bodies, with their criminal histories, photographs, fingerprints, etc. |
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| Notices – our system of notices is used to alert police to fugitives, suspected terrorists, dangerous criminals, missing persons or weapons threats. In 2011 more than 26,000 Notices or diffusions (a similar but less formal type of alert) were published. |
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| Stolen and Lost Travel Documents – holds information on more than 35 million travel documents reported lost or stolen by 166 countries. This database enables INTERPOL National Central Bureaus and other authorized law enforcement entities (such as immigration and border control officers) to ascertain the validity of a suspect travel document in seconds. |
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| Child sexual exploitation images – at the end of 2012, nearly 2,900 victims from more than 40 countries and 1,579 offenders had been identified. |
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| Fingerprints – we manage an Automated Fingerprint Identification System which contains more than 171,000 sets of fingerprints contributed by 172 countries. |
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| DNA Profiles – contains around 136,000 DNA profiles from 67 countries. DNA profiles are numerically coded sets of genetic markers unique to every individual and can be used to help solve crimes and identify missing persons and unidentified bodies. |
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| Firearms – The INTERPOL Firearms Reference Table allows investigators to properly identify a firearm used in a crime (its make, model, calibre, etc.). It contains more than 250,000 firearms references and 57,000 high-quality images. The INTERPOL Ballistic Information Network is a platform for the large-scale international sharing and comparison of ballistics data, holding more than 130,000 records. |
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| Stolen Works of Art – allows member countries to research records of more than 40,000 pieces of artwork and cultural heritage reported stolen all over the world. |
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| Stolen Motor Vehicles – provides extensive identification details on approximately 7.2 million vehicles reported stolen around the world. In 2012, more than 92,000 stolen motor vehicles were identified using the database. |
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| Fusion Task Force – a database of more than 11,000 persons suspected of being linked to terrorist activities. Some 105 member countries currently contribute to terrorism related matters. |
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| Stolen Administrative Documents – contains information on around 560,000 official documents which serve to identify objects, for example, vehicle registration documents and clearance certificates for import/export. |
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Fact sheet
Databases | PDF 1 MB
Global aviation security requires the industry to step in where governments fail (7 June 2011)
Terror suspect arrested in Maldives after passport check triggers INTERPOL alarm (10 March 2011)
Portugal arrests and extradites Colombian fugitive following hit on INTERPOL databases (18 November 2010)
