INTERPOL: 196 member countries, a General Secretariat in Lyon and a National Central Bureau in every country

Background

The full name of INTERPOL is the International Criminal Police Organization, and it is an inter-governmental organization. It has 196 member countries and helps police in all of them work together, enabling them to share and access data on crimes and criminals and offering technical and operational support. The General Secretariat coordinates its day-to-day activities and is run by the Secretary General. The General Secretariat is staffed by both police and civilians and comprises a headquarters in Lyon, a global complex for innovation in Singapore and several satellite offices in different regions. In each country an INTERPOL National Central Bureau, or NCB, is the central point of contact for the General Secretariat and for other NCBs. An NCB is run by national police officials and usually sits in the government ministry responsible for policing. The General Assembly is the governing body of the organization and brings all countries together once a year to take decisions. All its actions are politically neutral and are taken within the limits of existing laws in different countries, which lets police work directly with their counterparts even between countries which do not have diplomatic relations.