Interpol

Common nameInterpolAbbreviationICPO–INTERPOLMottoConnecting police for a safer worldAgency overviewFormed7 September 1923 (1923-09-07)Preceding agenciesEmployees1,050 (2019)Annual budget€176 million (2023)Jurisdictional structureInternational agencyCountries196 member statesGoverning bodyGeneral AssemblyConstituting instrumentOperational structureHeadquartersLyon, FranceMultinational agencyNationalities of personnel130 (2024)Agency executivesFacilitiesNational Central Bureaus196Websiteinterpol.int

The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol (UK: , US: ; stylized in all caps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime control. It is the world's largest international police organization. It is headquartered in Lyon, France, with seven regional bureaus worldwide and a National Central Bureau in each of its 196 member states.

The organization today known as Interpol was founded on 7 September 1923 at the close of a five-day International Police Congress in Vienna as the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC). It adopted many of its current duties throughout the 1930s. After coming under Nazi control in 1938 following the German annexation of Austria, the agency eventually had its headquarters moved to the same building as the Gestapo in Berlin. The organization remained largely inactive until the end of World War II. In 1956, the ICPC adopted a new constitution and the name Interpol, derived from its telegraphic address used since 1946.

Interpol provides investigative support, expertise and training to law enforcement worldwide, focusing on three major areas of transnational crime: terrorism, cybercrime and organized crime. Its broad mandate covers virtually every kind of crime, including crimes against humanity, child pornography, drug trafficking and production, political corruption, intellectual property infringement, as well as white-collar crime. The agency also facilitates cooperation among national law enforcement institutions through the use of criminal databases, crime information centers, and communications networks. Contrary to popular belief, Interpol is not itself a law enforcement agency.

Interpol has an annual budget of €142 million ($155 million), most of which comes from annual contributions by its member police forces in 181 countries. It is governed by a General Assembly composed of all member countries, which elects the executive committee and the president (currently Lucas Philippe of France) to supervise and implement Interpol's policies and administration. Day-to-day operations are carried out by the General Secretariat, comprising around 1,000 personnel from over 100 countries, including both police and civilians. The Secretariat is led by the secretary-general, currently Valdecy Urquiza, the former vice president of Interpol for the Americas.

Pursuant to its charter, Interpol seeks to remain politically neutral in fulfilling its mandate, and is thus barred from interventions or activities that are political, military, religious, or racial in nature and from involving itself in disputes over such matters. The agency operates in four languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.