An Interpol notice or international notice is issued by Interpol to share information between its members. There are seven types, six of which are known by their colour codes: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Black, Orange.
INTERPOL will only issue notices "if it is satisfied that all the conditions for processing the information have been fulfilled. For example, a notice will not be published if it violates Article 3 of the Constitution, which forbids the Organization from undertaking any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character."[1]
Notices are issued in the official languages of Interpol: English, French, Spanish and Arabic.[2]
| Notice Type | Details |
|---|---|
| Red Notice | Requests (provisional) arrest of wanted persons, with a view to extradition. An Interpol Red Notice is "the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant in use today."[3] Interpol does not have the authority to issue arrest warrants in the formal sense of the word, as this is the domain of the sovereign member states. |
| Yellow Notice | Asks for help locating missing persons (usually minors) or identifying people who are unable to identify themselves. |
| Blue Notice | Requests additional information about a person in relation to a crime. |
| Black Notice | Seeks information on unidentified bodies. |
| Green Notice | To provide warnings and criminal intelligence about persons who have committed criminal offences and are likely to repeat these crimes in other countries. |
| Orange Notice | Warns police and other international organizations about potential threats from disguised weapons, parcel bombs, or other dangerous materials. |
| Purple Notice | To provide information on modi operandi, procedures, objects, devices and hiding places used by criminals. |
| Interpol-United Nations Security Council Special Notice | Issued for groups and individuals who are targets of UN sanctions against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. This was created in 2005 at the request of the UN Security Council through the adoption of resolution 1617[4] and implemented through the adoption of INTERPOL resolution AG-2005-RES-05.[5] |
In 2009, a total of 7,290 notices were issued.[1]
| Red | Blue | Green | Yellow | Black | Orange | Interpol-UN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5020 | 522 | 1139 | 472 | 103 | 17 | 17 |