Interpol has 196 members - but makes no arrests

Crime crosses borders; police forces usually cannot. That gap is what Interpol was created to bridge. On 7 September 1923, delegates meeting in Vienna agreed to establish the International Criminal Police Commission, the body that would become Interpol.

Today it is the world’s largest international police organization, linking 196 member countries through a secure network so that investigators in different nations can share data on suspects, fugitives, stolen property, and missing persons. Each member runs a National Central Bureau that connects its own police to the wider system.

Despite the badge in films, Interpol officers do not patrol streets or make arrests.

It is a coordinator, not a police force. It cannot detain anyone or compel a country to act; instead it issues notices - such as the well-known Red Notice - requesting that members locate and provisionally arrest wanted individuals under their own laws.