Interpol, which received its current name and acronym in 1956, had its roots in European efforts to enhance law enforcement cooperation across national borders beginning with the First International Conference of Criminal Police in April 1914. Over the past 50 years, Interpol has made significant progress. It currently has 186 member countries, each with a national central bureau; a General Secretariat located in Lyon, France; five regional offices; a liaison office in Thailand; and an office at the United Nations in New York since 2005. The mandates of Interpol's Constitution are to ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities within the limits of the laws of member countries. The Constitution forbids Interpol from undertaking any involvement in activities related to political or military operations or that pertain to any religious or racial interests. Interpol is not an international police force. Rather it is an instrument for international cooperation that increases the investigative capacities of its member countries for the purposes of preventing and solving crimes within and across member countries. This article describes some of Interpol's priorities and functions, namely, its I 24/7 Communication System, its data banks, its system for international search warrants, operational projects, and the work of regional offices. The article concludes with an examination of the respective competencies of Interpol and Europol, in order to show how they complement rather than duplicate one another.