INTERPOL and OIMAP contacts

The emergency line is open every day, twenty-four hours a day, to law enforcement. It is used to verify a match, to request an appraisal of a seized object or to report a risk of imminent disappearance. The call is followed by written confirmation over the secure channel.

Operators and private individuals do not use this line: they go through the Desk form or the BIOP unit during the day. This separation preserves the line's availability for emergencies.

Two liaison officers, one seconded by INTERPOL in Paris, the other by OIMAP in Lyon, facilitate exchanges. They know both organisations and can unblock a situation in a few hours.

Each Member State has a national focal point, which centralises requests for authorisation, relays alerts and coordinates actions. The list of focal points is available to authorised officers and summarised in the States' records.

Sensitive exchanges go exclusively through encrypted channels: secure messaging, exchange platform, verified telephone call. No personal data or investigation information may be sent by ordinary email or consumer messaging.

Each contact is recorded, with the date, the reason and the contact person. This traceability protects officers and makes it possible to reconstruct the chronology of a case.

An investigator from a non-member State may request OIMAP's support through INTERPOL. Their request is passed to the BIOP unit, which examines the possibility of assistance: verification in the database, appraisal, putting in touch.

This openness is valuable in transnational cases: trafficking does not stop at OIMAP's borders, and cooperation must be able to extend to countries that are not yet members.