INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries. Our role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Our high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.

This is where you will find the latest news and multimedia from INTERPOL. Read our news stories and speeches; see the Organization in action through videos and photo galleries; and download our fact sheets, brochures and annual reports.

At INTERPOL today, we have a strong network of 190 member countries, each represented by a National Central Bureau and committed on a daily basis to international police cooperation.

Our global police communications channels and internationally recognized alert systems allow police around the world to share data instantly and securely. A 24-hour contact point and specialized teams provide targeted support to serious crime or disaster incidents.

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I-Checkit

An innovative border management capability

Organized criminal groups and terrorists use stolen travel documents to conceal their identities and cross borders undetected. Given this threat, and faced with increasing volumes of international passengers, countries urgently need to heighten their border control and identity management measures.

I-Checkit is an innovative solution that complements and enhances national border security systems by allowing the law enforcement community and trusted partners to conduct advanced passenger checks in real time.

In November 2015, INTERPOL’s member countries endorsed the I-Checkit Airlines solution as a key component of the Organization’s global border management strategy.

This decision followed a 16-month pilot project with AirAsia which demonstrated the value of I-Checkit in mitigating the criminal risks that are behind identity fraud and gathering police intelligence, especially in countries without fully integrated border solutions.

Working with trusted airline partners

I-Checkit enables airlines to submit travel document information for screening against INTERPOL’s database of stolen and lost travel documents. The data screened does not include names of individuals.

A database match triggers an instant alert so the situation can be investigated. Notifications are sent to the INTERPOL General Secretariat, INTERPOL National Central Bureaus in the countries concerned, and other relevant national law enforcement entities.

In some cases, this highly secure screening process will alert security teams within the airline company to enable them to carry out a secondary check of the document in question at the boarding gate.

Piloting I-Checkit in other industries

Future plans for I-Checkit include testing in other industries that are exploited by the criminal use of stolen identities and illicit transactions. Over the course of 2016, the I-Checkit solution will be piloted in the maritime transportation sector.

Current testing with a small number of companies in the hotel and banking sectors will continue. As part of this, I-Checkit will be assessed in line with the concept of Smart Cities (the use of digital technologies to improve traditional networks and services for the benefit of citizens and businesses).

Advice for travellers

Do not attempt to travel with a document that you have reported as lost or stolen.

Once you have declared your travel document as lost or stolen to your national authorities, it is cancelled and considered invalid. The details of the document are passed on to INTERPOL and entered into the database of stolen and lost travel documents (SLTD). Border officials in INTERPOL's 190 member countries can screen passenger information directly against the SLTD database. Selected airlines can submit the document details through I-Checkit for screening.

If you try to travel with an invalid document, entry or boarding is denied. The travel document is seized to prevent its future use and you cannot travel.

View the travel safe infographic

News

05 November 2015