Our full name is the International Criminal Police Organization and we are an inter-governmental organization. We have 194 member countries, and we help police in all of them to work together to make the world a safer place.

To do this, we enable them to share and access data on crimes and criminals, and we offer a range of technical and operational support.

Who makes up INTERPOL?

The General Secretariat coordinates our day-to-day activities to fight a range of crimes. Run by the Secretary General, it is staffed by both police and civilians and comprises a headquarters in Lyon, a global complex for innovation in Singapore and several satellite offices in different regions.

In each country, an INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) provides the central point of contact for the General Secretariat and other NCBs. An NCB is run by national police officials and usually sits in the government ministry responsible for policing.

The General Assembly is our governing body and it brings all countries together once a year to take decisions.

Connecting police

We connect all our countries via a communications system called I-24/7. Countries use this secure network to contact each other, and the General Secretariat. It also allows them to access our databases and services in real-time, from both central and remote locations.

We also coordinate networks of police and experts in different crime areas, who come together through working groups and at conferences to share experiences and ideas.