Interpol notice

"Red notice" redirects here. For other uses, see Red Notice (disambiguation).
Notices issued by Interpol.
Emblems of Interpol notices

An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The information disseminated via notices concerns individuals wanted for serious crimes, missing persons, unidentified bodies, possible threats, prison escapes, and criminals' modus operandi.[1]

There are eight types of notices, seven of which are colour-coded by their function: red, blue, green, yellow, black, orange, and purple. The best-known notice is the red notice which is the "closest instrument to an international arrest warrant in use today".[2][3] An eighth special notice is issued at the request of the United Nations Security Council.

Notices published by Interpol are made either on the organisation's own initiative or are based on requests from national central bureaus (NCBs) of member states or authorised international entities such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court. All notices are published on Interpol's secure website. Extracts of notices may also be published on Interpol's public website if the requesting entity agrees.

Interpol may only publish a notice that adheres to all the proper legal conditions. For example, a notice will not be published if it violates Interpol's constitution, which forbids the organisation from undertaking activities of a political, military, religious, or racial character. Interpol may refuse to publish a notice that it considers inadvisable or a potential risk.

Notices may be issued in any of the four official languages of Interpol: English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.[4]

  1. ^ "About Notices". Interpol. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Interpol Red Notices". United States Attorneys' Manual. United States Department of Justice. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  3. ^ "INTERPOL creates new international alert notice" (Press release). Lyon, France: Interpol. 24 February 2004. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020. INTERPOL already issues a series of colour-coded notices, including the famous Red Notice for wanted international fugitives
  4. ^ "Notices". Interpol. Archived from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.