INTERPOL (INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL POLICE COMMISSION)

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Interpol is the name of the international criminal police organization. The word ‘INTERPOL’ comes from the two words ‘international’ and ‘police’ and stands for the International Criminal Police Commission. Interpol is a strictly non-political, non-religious, non-racial organization in which the police forces of more than one hundred different nations co-operate with one another. Its head-quarters are situated in Paris.

The job of the Interpol is to trace criminals. According to international law, the police of one country cannot enter the territory of another country to catch a criminal who after committing a crime, has escaped to that country. Interpol helps in such situation to trace out the criminals. Every country has its representative in Interpol. After the First World War, crimes increased considerably in Europe, specially in Austria. After committing crimes, criminals used to go to some neighboring country and hide themselves there. In order to arrest such criminals, John Scober, the then police chief of Vienna called a meeting of the police official of different countries in 1923. It was in this meeting that twenty countries jointly established Interpol. Its first head office was made in Vienna and John became its first president.

 In 1938, Germany invaded Austria and with this came the end of Interpol. During the Second World War, Interpol remained inactive. After this war, Flaurent Lovagay, Inspector General of Belgium Police revived it. Due to the absence of necessary facilities in Belgium the head office of Interpol could not be established there. Paris became its new head office. By 1955, fifty five countries became members of Interpol. In 1956, was given a new constitution.