Advertisement

Interpol 'red notices' up 62 percent

MOSCOW, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- The number of "red notices" issued by Interpol rose more than 62 percent in 2011 to 26,000 compared with 2010, Interpol's chief said Thursday.

Ronald Noble, the chief of the international commission, said red notices, which request the arrest of wanted persons with a goal of extradition, climbed from 16,000 in 2010, RIA Novosti reported.

Advertisement

At the same time, the number of "diffusions" -- informal arrest warrants placed on Interpol's communications system -- increased by 15,000, to 49,000, or about 44 percent.

Overall, the number of Interpol notices increased to 75,000, or 50 percent.

In the past 11 years, the number of people wanted by Interpol has increased nearly six-fold.

The operations of Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Commission, have become much more public, Noble said. In 2000, 95 percent of its notices were issued secretly, compared with fewer than half its notices today.

Latest Headlines