Interpol Red Notices help catch “dangerous fugitives, murderers, rapists”, the organisation’s chief has told Sky News, defending the system.
Jurgen Stock, the secretary general of Interpol, spoke to Sky News for the Dirty Work podcast, which looks at the misuse of the Red Notice system that connects police forces around the world.
In the weeks before the 100th birthday of Interpol, Mr Stock told Sky News about how important the Red Notice system is, despite persistent allegations of misuse and abuse for political purposes.
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In some cases, innocent people are detained on a Red Notice, imprisoned, and extradited, with devastating consequences.
Mr Stock said: “I think it is a very robust system, and it is a very successful system first and foremost because it helps almost every day around the world to catch dangerous fugitives, murderers, rapists, those who are exploiting children, drug traffickers.”
Mr Stock will leave his post next year, after eight years at the helm, during which time he has made it his priority to reform the notice system to try to prevent abuse.
Jurgen Stock has spoken to Sky News about the misuse of the Red Notice system
But Sky News has learned how abusive notices are still slipping through the net. At least several hundred notices have to be cancelled and deleted each year, for failing to comply with Interpol’s own rules.
Mr Stock admits it is not a “perfect system”, adding the issues are “a kind of shared responsibility… on the side of the member country that is requesting – so we are… assuming, we are hoping, that this information is correct, but we are not taking it blindly.”
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When asked about people ending up with a notice that shouldn’t, he said it is “a small number of cases, but of course, very often significant cases that end up in the media and where we say, yes, this notice should not have been published.”
“Every of those cases is a case too many because we know the consequences this might have.”
Sky News’ podcast Dirty Work talks to a number of people who have faced those consequences.
Presenter: Sahar Zand
Producers: Heidi Pett and Anne-Marie Bullock
Senior Producer: Sarah Burke
Sound Designer: James Bradshaw
Editor: Paul Stanworth
