INTERNATIONAL POLICE AGENCIES

International Police Agencies

International Police Agencies

Introduction

The external dimension of security issues has triggered the establishment and development of institutions forming an embryonic international security apparatus supporting domestic activities. Two organizations deserve a closer scrutiny as they facilitate cross-border police cooperation and support national services and authorities whose missions is to prevent and combat crime.

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), established in 1923, is the world's largest international police organization and currently has 188 member countries. INTERPOL operates through its General Secretariat (Lyon, France) and a network of National Central Bureaus located in each member country. Its core functions cover secure global police communication services through a system (I-24/7) that enables national police services to request, submit, and access police data instantly and the management of operational data services and databases with information on known criminals, wanted persons, fingerprints, DNA profiles, stolen or lost travel documents, stolen motor vehicles, child sex abuse images, and stolen works of art. While mostly devoted to operational police assistance and support, INTERPOL's mandate may also extend to civil protection activities such as disaster victim identification in case of a terrorist attack or a natural disaster; following the tsunami that hit Thailand and Sri Lanka in December 2004, INTERPOL took an active role in the international effort to identify the victims of the disaster.

International Police Co-Operation

It has always been recognized that some forms of criminality cannot be effectively tackled by national police services responding in isolation. Contemporary problems most frequently cited in this context are those of drug and people trafficking. Indeed, the problem of people trafficking led to an international conference in Paris as far back as 1902. That conference resulted in the 1904 International Agreement for the Suppression of White Slave Traffic. Initially signed by 12 European countries, its provisions were also recognized and adhered to by other countries, including the USA. The first real initiative to create an international police organization was taken at the First Congress of International Criminal Police in Monaco in 1914. However, despite its name, it was a meeting dominated by politicians and diplomats as opposed to police professionals. In 1923 the organization now known as Interpol was founded - the International Criminal Police Commission.

Operational international assistance is primarily concerned with establishing the means whereby intelligence can be exchanged and, where appropriate, exploited to a degree that results in criminals being put before the courts of the relevant jurisdiction. No one country or police service has a monopoly on professionalism or innovation, and truly professional services invariably seek to capitalize on the experience and expertise of other forces, regardless of national boundaries. Certain forces or agencies have historically been seen as setting the standard for others to aspire to, and the USA's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for example, has consciously sought to influence policing globally by a deliberate policy of outreach. Senior international police officials are encouraged to attend courses organized by the FBI. These courses not only foster friendships between international counterparts but they also encourage ...