Clients frequently ask how they can have an INTERPOL Red Notice if they are not listed on the Wanted page of INTERPOL’s website.

The answer is that the vast majority of Red Notices are unpublished. INTERPOL’s currently available data, here, tells us that

“[t]here are currently approximately 58,000 valid Red Notices, of which some 7,000 are public.”

With less than ten percent of Red Notices being published, this means that approximately 51,000 people are walking around  the globe not knowing that they are listed as wanted in INTERPOL’s databases.

Obviously, it is more efficient for law enforcement officials to apprehend a subject who is unaware that he is being sought and who therefore travels more freely. Those who are publicly listed as wanted may decide to limit their travel or to seek removal of their Red Notices if they were improperly requested.

As always, comments and questions are welcomed.