One of the most famous international organizations involved in international search, can rightfully be called Interpol. Combining 192 countries, it is a police organization that can fight organized crime at the international level with a high degree of efficiency. This article will discuss how exactly the Interpol headquarters appeared, the functions that it currently performs.
Historical reference
Almost a hundred years have passed since the birth of the international police organization with headquarters in Leon. It happened in 1923, but the organization had a completely different name - the International Criminal Police Commission. The idea of its creation was first discussed back in 1914 at the first meeting of the International Congress of Criminal Police, held in Monaco.
If you were wondering where the headquarters of Interpol was then, then it was not in French Lyon at all, but in Vienna, the capital of Austria. This was proposed by the president of the Vienna police, Dr. Johann Schober. He was the first and began to send notifications of persons on the international wanted list to a specific magazine, which was distributed to all countries.
Only in 1926 the Commission began to grow - it was proposed to establish a point of contact in each of the participating countries. Gradually, she began to acquire an increasing number of powers, competencies. During the reign of Hitler completely came under the control of the German government, was forced to move to Germany. A new round of development came only after the end of World War II. The new headquarters of Interpol in Paris was created, the procedure for electing the president and the Executive Committee has changed.
Modern formation
Only in 1956, the organization acquired the better known name - Interpol. It became completely autonomous, and used investments as a means of subsistence. In 1971, the UN fully recognized Interpol as an intergovernmental organization. She moved to the city of Lyon only in 1989, moving her General Secretariat there. From this time begins the true flowering of activity. An increasing number of countries began to be included in its structure, so it became possible to expand the boundaries of activity and competence. The USSR became a member state only in 1990, after the collapse of the country, the Russian Federation became its successor.
Organization Priorities
Every 4 years, Interpol adopts a special strategic program, which displays the framework of the activities of states, as well as the main goals and missions for this period. Currently they include:
1. Serving Interpol to law enforcement agencies of various countries in the form of a global information center, ensuring a complete exchange of information.
2. Police support in order to provide a full-fledged opportunity to fight crime, the prevention of transnational crimes (cybercrime, terrorism).
3. Introducing innovative approaches to policing at the international level.
4. Increasing the importance of Interpol within the framework of global security to strengthen cooperation between organizations.
Higher structure
The activities of the headquarters of Interpol and its units are directed exclusively by the participating countries. All this happens in the strict framework of the existing system of bodies and constituent assemblies.
Interpol structure:
- The General Assembly consists of representatives from each participating country. Its role includes the adoption of all the most important decisions that are directed towards the organization’s policies, activities and working methods. It is collected once a year, usually in the autumn. Its quantitative composition is not determined, since the members of the delegation are not limited. However, there is a requirement for the participants - they must be high-ranking criminal police officers, perform functions related to the activities of Interpol.
- The Executive Committee is directly elected by the General Assembly and is chaired by the president of the organization. The current president is Meng Hongwei (China). His duties are charged with determining the direction of activity, managing the organization itself, as well as monitoring the implementation of Assembly decisions.
Permanent bodies
If the above structures work at time intervals and perform higher functions, that is, those that work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
- The General Secretariat is located at Interpol's headquarters. It is led by Secretary General Jürgen Stock. It is this structure that works daily in order to implement the decisions of the organization. In addition to the main headquarters in Lyon, there are seven more regional offices around the world.
- National Central Bureau. In each of the states that are part of Interpol, there is a special bureau. It provides cooperation with a global network, therefore the most qualified employees of national law enforcement services serve there. Interpol in Russia is presented in the form of the National Central Bureau of Interpol of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia under the command of Alexander Vasilievich Prokopchuk, who still serves as vice president of Interpol itself.
- The system of bodies is also represented by consultants and advisers who provide advice if necessary.
Goals
Like any organization, Interpol has its ambitious goals, which are enshrined in the Charter of the organization (in articles 2 and 3).
1. The organization was created in order to ensure cooperation between all police bodies.
2. The creation of such an institution that could successfully combat criminal crime and even prevent it. Interpol is expressly prohibited from interfering in the activities of countries if it is racial, religious, political or military.
Directions
All the activities of Interpol are reflected in its main directions. These include:
1. Criminal registration, that is, the creation of special file cabinets that can help in the international search for a criminal. Here are their portraits, a description of the crimes committed, fingerprints and much more. Each state should replenish these file cabinets as it receives data - this is not a wish, but an obligation. In exchange, the General Secretariat sends to each National Bureau the latest data constantly, and not upon request.
2. They are also involved in the international search of criminals themselves. They conduct direct investigative work, coordinate the actions of the police of different countries to conduct an investigation.
3. The international search for persons who are reported missing. However, the possibility of such a search can be connected only if the national has not brought any result, there is evidence that the person is outside the country.
4. The international search for stolen property. These mainly include antiques, jewelry, art, and vehicles.
Participating states
In total, at present, there are 192 states from all over the world. This is the second largest international intergovernmental organization in terms of membership , second only to the UN. Interpol consists of countries from Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. Each of them has a National Central Bureau on its territory. The Russian Federation is also one of the participating countries.
The member states of Interpol that have joined the organization's activities earlier than others include France, the UK, the USA, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, and Sweden. The structure includes other countries that also take an active part in the organization.
Interaction Features
Interpol in Russia, as well as in other countries of the world, has its own characteristics in interaction with the central authority. For example, everything that arrives in the country marked "Interpol" should be sent directly to the National Bureau of the country, and not to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this case, after receiving a request from the headquarters of Interpol, the head must immediately order his subordinate services to fulfill the required. All this ensures the efficiency and a high degree of efficiency of the organization itself, since there is no bureaucratic red tape.
At the same time, the National Bureau can also involve national police services in its activities, as well as develop the degree of their interaction.