Most of the time, the posts for this blog are geared towards the subjects of Red Notices and their attorneys. Today, however, the focus is on crime victims and their involvement with Red Notices. A man wrote to me recently to inquire how one might go about seeking a Red Notice in a certain INTERPOL member country, when the relevant law enforcement officials have been ineffective in obtaining a Red Notice.

Criminal victims have many options in terms of how they handle their roles in a criminal case, but INTERPOL access is not one of those options. INTERPOL's channels are only accessible to law enforcement agencies. All INTERPOL member countries have an assigned National Central Bureau ("NCB") that is responsible for liaising between the country and INTERPOL.

Victims do have the ability to take some steps that may aid in the process of seeking a Red Notice. For instance, if they remain readily available to the investigating officers, a complete investigation is more easily conducted and the officers will be more likely to have the documents needed to obtain a Red Notice.

Another consideration is that not all law enforcement agencies are very well versed in the use of INTERPOL's tools. The victim's request that a Red Notice be issued may be the first time that an officer ever even considers a Red Notice. By familiarlizing himself with the NCB's information page (on INTERPOL's website) a victim can also become a source of information for law enforcement officials who may have never utilized INTERPOL's tools.

Finally, as we have all learned, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Victims who maintain contact with the assigned law enforcement officials are more likely to see progress on the cases. Victims who sit idly by and hope for results will likely continue to do just that- sit and hope.