RED NOTICE

 Criminals can flee to another country to try to evade justice. A Red Notice alerts police worldwide about internationally wanted fugitives.

What is a Red Notice?

A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.

It contains two main types of information:

Information to identify the wanted person, such as their name, date of birth, nationality, hair and eye colour, photographs and fingerprints if available.

Information related to the crime they are wanted for, which can typically be murder, rape, child abuse or armed robbery.

Red Notices are published by INTERPOL at the request of a member country, and must comply with INTERPOL’s Constitution and Rules. A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant.

A Red Notice is an international wanted persons notice, but it is not an arrest warrant.

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.

Red Notice

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.

Can I find out if a Red Notice has been issued for me?

You can contact the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files (CCF), an independent body. Applications to the CCF are free of charge and treated confidentially.

Red notice

Most well-known is the red notice which is the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant. A red notice is an international alert to seek the location and arrest of a wanted person for the purpose of extradition. A red notice informs law enforcement officers in one country that those of another country are seeking the arrest of a particular person.

The alert includes two main types of information:

identity details (physical description, photograph, fingerprints, identity document numbers etc.) and

judicial information (the criminal offence with which the person is charged, references to the laws under which the charge is made or conviction was obtained; references to the arrest warrant or court sentence etc.

Diffusion

Similar to the notice, a diffusion is issued for the same purposes as notices but sent directly by a member country to a country of their choice. A diffusion is like a red notice an international alert which notifies law enforcement authorities in one country that those of another country are seeking the arrest of a specific person. Other than a red notice a diffusion is not published by Interpol at the country’s request. Diffusions and red notices can have many of the same effects.

Consequences

In case of an outstanding red notice or a diffusion there is a significant risk of being arrested, both at home and when travelling. In many countries, border agents and police officers are required to arrest persons subject to red notices. Furthermore one can be confronted with the closure of bank-accounts. An outstanding arrest warrant may affect your status regarding employment, professional status and personal reputation.

How to proceed with a request for the removal of a red notice or diffusion?

You may consider next steps:

contact the judicial authorities in the country which issued the red notice with the request to remove the information 

Each country has its own laws and procedures. Our lawyers can make inquiries in the issuing state, preferably through the engagement of local lawyers. We work together with other law firms worldwide.

contact the authorities in the country where you live to ask Interpol to remove your name from its databases 

This is not done very often and you will need the help of a local lawyer to pursue this option.

contact the CCF and request to recommend the deletion of your information 

This request will need to comply with the admissibility requirements.