Interpol notices

Another type of restrictive measure upon which Carter-Ruck regularly advises is Interpol notices. The different forms of notices are as follows:

  • Red notices: to seek the location and arrest of persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence;
  • Yellow notices: to help locate missing persons, often minors, or to help identify persons who are unable to identify themselves;
  • Blue notices: to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation;
  • Black notices: to seek information on unidentified bodies;
  • Green notices: to provide warning about a person’s criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a threat to public safety;
  • Orange notices: to warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety;
  • Purple notices: to seek or provide information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals; and
  • INTERPOL–United Nations Security Council Special Notice: issued for entities and individuals who are the targets of UN Security Council Sanctions Committees.

Being subjected to an Interpol notice can be hugely disruptive, preventing the individual from travelling and also causing major reputational problems.

A recent report of the CCF (the body in charge of Interpol’s files) records that in 2022 there were 847 complaints closed (up from 651 in 2021) of which 470 concerned admissible requests from applicants who were the subjects of data recorded in Interpol’s files (generally meaning a notice had been issued against their name). In 271 of these cases the CCF concluded that data were not compliant with Interpol’s rules.

These statistics underscore the deficiencies in the current system, and also the potential there is for notices to be successfully challenged.

Carter-Ruck has extensive experience in successfully assisting clients with the removal of notices which have been issued against their name, including through the deployment of submissions to the CCF.