How Interpol and Europol Differ
They are separate organisations with different memberships and different legal bases. Interpol is a global body of 196 members that circulates data and requests between national police forces. Europol is an agency of the European Union serving its member states, with an analytical and coordinating role. Neither has officers who can arrest anyone anywhere.
Compared
| Interpol | Europol | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An international organisation of 196 member countries | An agency of the European Union |
| Membership | Global | EU member states, with third-country agreements |
| Main function | Circulating notices, diffusions and data between national bureaux | Analysis, intelligence and operational coordination |
| Power of arrest | None | None |
| Review of data held | The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’s Files | The European Data Protection Supervisor |
The practical consequence is that a person can be recorded in one system, the other, or both, and challenging each is a different procedure before a different body. What the more familiar of the two does, and what it asks of member countries, is set out on how an Interpol red notice works.
Which instruments belong to which
The coloured notices, and the diffusion that is not a notice at all, are Interpol instruments — types of Interpol notices. Europol does not issue notices in that sense.
If you are recorded in either system
The procedures differ, the evidence overlaps. Legal help with an Interpol alert.
Request a free case assessmentFrequently asked
Can Europol arrest someone?
No. Like Interpol, it has no officers with powers of arrest in any member state. Arrests are made by national police.
Does a red notice go to Europol?
They are separate systems. A person can appear in both, and each has its own review route.
Which one holds data longer?
Both apply retention rules with periodic review rather than fixed terms, and both can be asked to delete data that should not be there.