1914
The idea was born at the first International Criminal Police Congress held in Monaco in April 1914. At the invitation of Prince Albert I of Monaco, lawyers and police officials from 24 countries discussed cooperation on solving crimes, identification techniques and extradition. The meeting was highly successful, but plans had to be put on hold due to the outbreak of the First World War.
1923
The idea of an international police body was revived by Dr Johannes Schober, President of the Vienna Police. He convened the second International Criminal Police Congress in Vienna, Austria in 1923. It was attended by representatives from 20 countries who agreed to provide each other with mutual police assistance. They also passed a series of Resolutions setting out the ICPC’s structure and key aims: direct police contact, cooperation on arrests and extradition, the creation of offices for counterfeit currency, cheques and passports and the use of fingerprinting techniques and records.
1927
The ICPC adopted a further resolution requiring all member countries to establish a central point of contact within its police structure. The forerunners of what today are known as National Central Bureaus (NCBs), these entities represent INTERPOL in every member country, connecting national law enforcement agencies with other countries and with INTERPOL’s General Secretariat via its secure global police communications network.
1932
New statutes introduced the role of Secretary General working alongside a President and Executive Committee.
1935
The world’s first telecommunications system for exclusive use by criminal police authorities was created in 1935, with the launch of the Organization's international radio network.
1938
Germany’s ruling Nazi authorities assumed control of the International Criminal Police Commission after deposing its then President Michael Skubl. In 1941, the ICPC’s headquarters were relocated to Berlin and the Organization remained under Nazi control until the end of World War II.
1946
Following the end of the war, a new President and Executive Committee were elected and the Headquarters moved to Paris, France. In the same year, "INTERPOL" was chosen as the Organization's telegraphic address.
1947
The Organization published its first Red Notice against a Russian national wanted for the murder of a policeman. Red Notices are requests to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and arrest a fugitive pending legal action such as extradition.
1956
The ICPC became the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO-INTERPOL), with the adoption of a modernized constitution by the General Assembly, meeting in Vienna. The Constitution sets out the fundamental rules and principles governing the Organization.
INTERPOL's status as an international organization was strengthened in the 1970s by United Nations recognition and a Headquarters Agreement with France in 1972.
1966
The General Secretariat moved from Paris to Saint Cloud.
1986
In May 1986, the INTERPOL General Secretariat building in Saint Cloud, Paris, was attacked by extremist group Action Directe. A police officer was injured and the building extensively damaged.
1989
The INTERPOL General Secretariat moved to purpose-built premises in Lyon, France.
2000
INTERPOL introduced an automatic fingerprint identification system that dramatically reduced the time needed for fingerprint checks. This was followed by a database of DNA profiles in 2002 and the same year saw the launch of I-247, a secure web-based communications platform allowing all member states to access and share information.
2003
INTERPOL created a Command and Coordination Centre (CCC) at the General Secretariat in Lyon. This point of contact for any member country experiencing a crisis or seeking urgent police information is operational 24/7. Its reach was further strengthened with the opening of a second operations room at the Organization’s Regional Bureau in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2011 and a third in Singapore in 2015.
2007
On 8 October 2007, INTERPOL launched its first public appeal for help, after all police channels had failed to identify a man featured in child sex abuse images on the Internet. Within hours of the appeal being published on INTERPOL's website, the suspect was identified by members of the public and he was arrested 11 days later.
2015
The INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) is a cutting-edge research and development facility for the identification of crimes and criminals, innovative training, operational support and partnerships. Based in Singapore, the IGCI was officially inaugurated in April 2015.
2021
In 2021, INTERPOL launched its first mobile application, ID-Art, a new entry point to INTERPOL’s Stolen Works of Art database. The app helps recover stolen cultural property and can be accessed by police officers, custom officials, collectors and art dealers, the media, researchers and the public as a whole. In its first year, it was downloaded 25,000 times in 170 countries.
2023
INTERPOL celebrated 100 years of international police cooperation and the evolution of the Organization from its origins as the International Criminal Police Commission to its current form, with 196 member countries and 1,200 staff and officers working together against crime.
The occasion was marked by the publication of the Vienna Declaration on challenging the rise of transnational organized crime. Launched during the Organization’s 91st General Assembly, held in the Austrian capital where it was founded, the Declaration is a call to action for the global law enforcement community to unite to tackle this growing security threat.