The primary concern of the Americas Sub-Directorate is to support regional and national crime-fighting activities in the Americas by providing a wide range of high-quality operational and administrative services on a daily basis.

• To address regional crime issues;
• To increase the flow and exchange of information on relevant crime areas;
• To increase the exchange of information with regions;
• To make information available on a regional basis;
• To provide adequate support at regional and national level.

The main tasks and services for the Americas Sub-Directorate are:

• To perform secretariat services for INTERPOL General Secretariat activities in the region, including the Americas Regional Conference and the Meeting of Contact Officers for NCBs of the Americas.
• To enhance the performances of NCBs through identifying problems and assisting NCBs in overcoming difficulties to international co-operation.
• To organize training for NCB officers on INTERPOL programmes, initiatives and activities of interest.
• To raise interest in INTERPOL activities among the member countries from the Americas.
• To develop and enhance relationships with international and regional organizations.
• To increase the exchange of information among member countries and with the General Secretariat.

The Americas Sub-Directorate was created in 2001 and is currently staffed by one Assistant Director from Mexico and two Regional Specialized Officers from Colombia and France who are responsible for co-ordinating NCB activities within INTERPOL’s Americas Region. Posts for Regional Specialized Officer are currently vacant.

The Americas Business Plan 2008-2009 which was adopted at the 19th Americas Regional Conference held in Bogota, Colombia, from 25 to 27 September 2007 is the reference document for the Americas Sub-Directorate programme of activities described in its Activity Plan. 

At the 66th General Assembly session (New Delhi, October 1997), it was decided that regional conferences would be held regularly on the four continents, i.e. Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe. They are statutory institutions and are considered as General Assembly committees.

The reviewed Terms of References for INTERPOL Regional Conferences, consistent with the Organization’s legal structure but with the sufficient flexibility to allow each region to address its specific concerns and expectations, were adopted at the 73rd General Assembly session (Cancun, October 2004). The text permits each INTERPOL Regional Conference to define its own priorities and to devise unique regional responses to problems that exist in its area of the world.

The Americas Regional Conference is a meeting where policy and strategy matters concerning improvement of police co-operation between the member countries of the Americas and the crime situation are discussed on the basis of preparatory work carried out by officials of the Americas Sub-Directorate and on the contributions from delegations.

In accordance with the Terms of Reference for INTERPOL Regional Conferences, the Americas Regional Conference may take decisions which involve the development of activities related to basic matters connected with criminality and police strategy in the region.

The Americas region covers 37 National Central Bureaus and 7 Sub-Bureaus. For management purposes, this area has been divided into four sub-regions: North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean

North America (3 countries)
Canada, Mexico, United States

Central America (7 countries)
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

South America (12 countries)
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

The Caribbean (22 countries)
Anguilla (United Kingdom Sub-Bureau), Antigua & Barbuda , Aruba , Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda (United Kingdom Sub-Bureau), British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom Sub-Bureau), Cayman Islands (United Kingdom Sub-Bureau), Cuba , Dominica, Grenada , Dominican Republic , Haiti , Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, Montserrat (United Kingdom Sub-Bureau), Puerto Rico (United States Sub-Bureau), St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks and Caicos (United Kingdom Sub-Bureau)

There are seven Sub-Bureaus in the Caribbean. The reason for the existence of these Sub-Bureaus lies in Article 33 of INTERPOL's Constitution: In countries where the provisions of Article 32 are inapplicable or do not permit effective centralized co-operation, the General Secretariat has decided, with these countries, the most suitable alternative means of co-operation.

There are two Sub-Regional Bureaus for the Americas:

Sub-Regional Bureau for Central America (San Salvador, El Salvador)
Sub-Regional Bureau for South America (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

All INTERPOL National Central Bureaus in the Americas are connected to the I-24/7 communications system. This communication network makes it possible to send information both bilaterally between NCBs and, of course, between NCBs and the General Secretariat in Lyon.