PHOTOGRAPH OF PEOPLE SUBJECT TO RED NOTICES
How effective are these notices? What colour notices can be issued? Tell
me more about the subjects of these notices? What matters are not subject to
Red Notices or any other colour? This information is current as of 8 June 2022
and should be checked regularly for updates. Click on this link for updates: https://www.interpol.int/How-we-work/Notices/Red-Notices
How many Red Notices are there?
There are currently approximately 69,270 valid Red Notices, of which
some 7,500 are public.
The majority of Red Notices are restricted to law enforcement use only.
In some cases, for example where the public’s help is needed to locate
an individual or they pose a threat to public safety, a public extract of the
Red Notice is published on this website.
In 2021, INTERPOL issued 10,776 Red Notices.
Who are the subjects of Red Notices?
Red Notices are issued for fugitives wanted either for prosecution or to
serve a sentence. This follows judicial proceedings in the country issuing the
request. This is not always the home country of the individual, but the country
where the crime was committed.
When a person is sought for prosecution, they have not been convicted
and should be considered innocent until proven guilty. A person sought to serve
a sentence means they have been found guilty by a court in the issuing country.
What checks are done before a Red Notice is issued?
Every Red Notice request is checked by a specialised task force to ensure
it is compliant with our rules. This review takes into account information
available at the time of publication.
Whenever new and relevant information is brought to the attention of the
General Secretariat after a Red Notice has been issued, the task force
re-examines the case.
Offences for which a Red Notice may not be issued
Article 83 of INTERPOL’s Rules on the Processing of Data (RPD) sets out
the specific conditions for the publication of Red Notices.
Red Notices may be published only if the offence concerned is a serious
ordinary-law crime. They may not be published for the following categories of
offences:
offences that in various countries raise controversial issues relating
to behavioural or cultural norms;
offences relating to family/private matters;
offences originating from a violation of laws or regulations of an
administrative nature or deriving from private disputes, unless the criminal
activity is aimed at facilitating a serious crime or is suspected of being
connected to organized crime.
The General Secretariat maintains a non-exhaustive list of specific
offences that fall within the above categories.
The current list of offences for which a Red Notice may not be published
can be downloaded in the Related Documents section below.
Are the individuals wanted by INTERPOL?
No, they are wanted by a country or an international tribunal.
INTERPOL cannot compel the law enforcement authorities in any country to
arrest someone who is the subject of a Red Notice.
Each member country decides what legal value it gives to a Red Notice
and the authority of their law enforcement officers to make arrests.
Why are Red Notices important?
They are used to simultaneously alert police in all our member countries
about internationally wanted fugitives. Police in other countries can then be
on the watch for them and use the Red Notice to support extradition
proceedings.
Red Notices help bring fugitives to justice, sometimes many years after
the original crime was committed.
What should I do if I have information on an individual?
Please inform your local police authorities and/or the INTERPOL General
Secretariat. If you have information on any person who is subject to any notice
that was issued by Interpol, please click on this link and fill out the form
requesting information:
https://www.interpol.int/Contacts/Fugitives-wanted-persons
Thank you for reading this story and I would appreciate it to hear from
you:
Please write me a letter by clicking on these e-mail links: neelcoertse@wirelessza.co.za & cjcoertse.law@gmai.com
