INTERPOL: Crime Control, NOT Conflict Resolution

INTERPOL is strictly a criminal law enforcement facilitator, not a global dispute resolution body, as defined by Article 2 of its Constitution. Its mandate is limited to preventing and suppressing "ordinary law crimes," excluding civil, administrative, or private disputes (Article 83 (1)(a)(i) of the RPD).

What INTERPOL Does NOT Cover

Since police forces do not handle non-criminal disputes, INTERPOL cannot be used for:

a) Contractual or commercial disputes – A business disagreement between two companies over unpaid invoices does not qualify as a criminal matter.

b) Property disputes – If two individuals argue over real estate ownership, even if one refuses to vacate the premises, this remains a civil dispute, handled by national courts.

c) Defamation or libel cases – A person accusing another of damaging their reputation cannot use INTERPOL to pursue legal action; such cases fall under civil law.

d) Family law issues – Divorce, child custody battles, or inheritance disputes are private legal matters, not criminal offences, and must be resolved through national family courts.

e) Administrative violations – If a person refuses to pay taxes or fines, or overstays a visa, these are administrative matters, and INTERPOL has no role in their enforcement.

First Criterion: "Criminal" Case

Since INTERPOL only supports national police agencies in criminal cases, it cannot be used for civil enforcement or private disputes. Criminal offences involve acts that harm society as a whole, and the state prosecutes them and can lead to fines, imprisonment, or both. Civil disputes, in contrast, are private legal conflicts between individuals or businesses, resolved through local courts, not INTERPOL.

Example: A person stealing money through fraud commits a criminal offence, but simply failing to repay a business loan is involved in a civil matter. The first may justify an INTERPOL alert; the second belongs to the national civil court's jurisdiction.

Second Criterion: International Scale

Even when a case is criminal in nature, INTERPOL only intervenes if it meets the international scale requirement. A purely domestic crime remains under national jurisdiction.

Example: A person committing fraud in one country against a citizen of the same country is a domestic case, and INTERPOL has no role. However, if the person commits fraud across multiple countries, deceiving victims internationally, it becomes an international crime justifying INTERPOL’s involvement.

Bottom Line

INTERPOL is a tool for criminal law enforcement, not for private legal conflicts. For INTERPOL to be involved, the case must be criminal in nature and international in scale.