If this is not because of Nazarrudin, I will not dig this information. I want to know more about how Interpol works, so I googled some key words and get this article. I'm gonna digest it now :)
INTERPOL has been in the news quite a bit recently as a result of several high profile cases involving child pornography and child abduction. You've heard the acronym all your life, but do you know what INTERPOL actually stands for, or what it does? The name stands for International Criminal Police Organization, and it came into being in the early 20th century specifically to crack down on the international counterfeiting trade. INTERPOL began life in Monte Carlo in 1914 as an attempt to bring together the investigative skills and resources of fourteen different European countries. The close proximity of those countries meant that criminals could routinely cross borders and law enforcement jurisdictions with practically no fear of being caught. The red tape that created this confidence was created out of a lack of standardized laws, treaties, and recognition of sovereignty. In addition, nationalist feelings often meant that one country would overlook the commission of a crime in another country by a resident of the first nation.
INTERPOL is not, as is commonly assumed, an independent law enforcement agency with officers endowed with powers in every country. Rather than attempting to create a controlled and governed international police force, the architects decided to attempt to cooperate internationally while also recognizing the sovereignty and rights of each country. INTERPOL agents work within their own country and must abide by their own national laws. In addition, INTERPOL cannot launch an investigation within a country without getting permission and assistance from the authority of that country. The purpose of this international organization is to assist the national law enforcement agencies at all levels: local, state and federal. One of the primary functions of INTERPOL is to facilitate what is sorely missing in many investigations at all those levels: coordination. The agency acts to get information obtained at one level to all the other levels involved and to focus on the concern of solving the crime rather than establishing jurisdiction.
How this works is through the establishment of INTERPOL offices through a communication network that is capable of providing confidential information almost instantly to international investigators. The central coordination office of this network is know as the National Central Bureau and it is capable of transmitting this information to any of the member nations. Those member nation headquarters routinely receive requests for assistance from law enforcement agencies around the world. While the conventionally sexy view of INTERPOL is that of an organization hunting down international jewel thiefs who look like James Bond, the average case that INTERPOL works to coordinate is typically more mundane. The fundamental information that INTERPOL helps to transmit from one authority to another is centered on locating or identifying a suspect or a missing person. In many ways, the elemental contribution of INTERPOL is to facilitate the issuance of an international "all points bulletin." In concert with this, INTERPOL is also a vital channel for instantly alerting officers to be on the lookout for suspected criminal activity. INTERPOL is capable of issuing a red alert to officers across the world working at locations where criminals may be attempting to flee jurisdiction: airports and border checkpoints, for instance.
Another important element of INTERPOL is their ASF system, or Automated Search Facility. The ASF makes it possible for the NCB to conduct a search for international records across a broad range of criteria. This system can search not only for the name of someone, but is even capable of searching for that name through a phonetic spelling. INTERPOL has perhaps the most state of the art computer identification system in the world today with access to criminal background information from countries around the world. In addition to vast database of fingerprints, the AFS also has the latest in imaging technology. The most recent example of just how sophisticated INTERPOL's system really is came with the revelation of a video image of a suspected pedophile who had warped his face being unwarped to provide a clearly defined image of what he actually looks like.
Even though INTERPOL does not act as independent police force, and because it is specifically mandated against investigating political crimes, it remains one of the most useful resources for tracking down fugitives. INTERPOL allows the law enforcement agencies in even the smallest of communities to obtain and provide key information to be used in the investigation of criminal activity almost anywhere in the world.
INTERPOL is not, as is commonly assumed, an independent law enforcement agency with officers endowed with powers in every country. Rather than attempting to create a controlled and governed international police force, the architects decided to attempt to cooperate internationally while also recognizing the sovereignty and rights of each country. INTERPOL agents work within their own country and must abide by their own national laws. In addition, INTERPOL cannot launch an investigation within a country without getting permission and assistance from the authority of that country. The purpose of this international organization is to assist the national law enforcement agencies at all levels: local, state and federal. One of the primary functions of INTERPOL is to facilitate what is sorely missing in many investigations at all those levels: coordination. The agency acts to get information obtained at one level to all the other levels involved and to focus on the concern of solving the crime rather than establishing jurisdiction.
How this works is through the establishment of INTERPOL offices through a communication network that is capable of providing confidential information almost instantly to international investigators. The central coordination office of this network is know as the National Central Bureau and it is capable of transmitting this information to any of the member nations. Those member nation headquarters routinely receive requests for assistance from law enforcement agencies around the world. While the conventionally sexy view of INTERPOL is that of an organization hunting down international jewel thiefs who look like James Bond, the average case that INTERPOL works to coordinate is typically more mundane. The fundamental information that INTERPOL helps to transmit from one authority to another is centered on locating or identifying a suspect or a missing person. In many ways, the elemental contribution of INTERPOL is to facilitate the issuance of an international "all points bulletin." In concert with this, INTERPOL is also a vital channel for instantly alerting officers to be on the lookout for suspected criminal activity. INTERPOL is capable of issuing a red alert to officers across the world working at locations where criminals may be attempting to flee jurisdiction: airports and border checkpoints, for instance.
Another important element of INTERPOL is their ASF system, or Automated Search Facility. The ASF makes it possible for the NCB to conduct a search for international records across a broad range of criteria. This system can search not only for the name of someone, but is even capable of searching for that name through a phonetic spelling. INTERPOL has perhaps the most state of the art computer identification system in the world today with access to criminal background information from countries around the world. In addition to vast database of fingerprints, the AFS also has the latest in imaging technology. The most recent example of just how sophisticated INTERPOL's system really is came with the revelation of a video image of a suspected pedophile who had warped his face being unwarped to provide a clearly defined image of what he actually looks like.
Even though INTERPOL does not act as independent police force, and because it is specifically mandated against investigating political crimes, it remains one of the most useful resources for tracking down fugitives. INTERPOL allows the law enforcement agencies in even the smallest of communities to obtain and provide key information to be used in the investigation of criminal activity almost anywhere in the world.
