In the last post, we addressed the fact that the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files (CCF) is still required under its operating rules to meet only three times per year.  This requirement has remained the same in spite of the fact that the Commission's requests for relief have continued to increase over the last few years. Based on the rate of new Red Notices being issued currently, there is every reason to believe that individual requests to the Commission will continue to climb year after year.

Even though INTERPOL missed out on a great opportunity to amend the CCF's operating rules along with so many other rules when it modified so many other rules and created its new Rules on the Processing of Data, not to worry. The Commission can still greatly increase its productivity without modifiying its rules.

The current Operating Rules of the CCF, specifically Article 36, require that the Commission meet "at least three times a year." This means that the Commission has authority to meet much more frequently than it currently does. It also means that the three yearly sessions, as scheduled for 2012, are the bare minimum allowed under its rules.

Given the workload now faced by the Commission, it's time for more than the bare minimum number of meetings.

As always, thoughts and comments are welcomed.