BuaNews (Tshwane)
Proffesor Ndawonde
19 November 2008
Johannesburg — Interpol has met with ministers and law enforcement agencies from around the world to discuss more effective methods to secure the arrest of the world's most wanted criminals.
Speaking during the 5th International Conference on Fugitives in Johannesburg on Monday Interpol Secretary General, Ronald Noble said governments and law enforcement agencies need to work together with governments in combating international crime and in the search for international fugitives.
"Governments and law enforcements agencies around the world have done much in the search and arrest of international most wanted criminals.
"However, in certain countries not much has been done and as Interpol we avail ourselves to work cooperatively with governments and law enforcements agencies to ensure that we effectively search and arrest fugitives," he said.
The conference was arranged by the International Criminal Police Organisation, or Interpol, together with the South African Police Services.
Criminals who go on the run to other countries to escape charges against them pose strategic challenges for law enforcement agencies.
Gauteng SAPS Deputy Commissioner Ray Lalla said the conference has offered law enforcement agencies the opportunity to complement and refine the fugitive investigative methods and learn from each other.
He said these types of investigations require hard work and patience, and even more than in other cases, police often come under close public scrutiny in the way they go about bringing wanted individuals to justice.
Mr Lalla said South Africa has done excellent work on several high profile fugitive investigations and it was intending to arrest more given the effectiveness of the methods to be adopted in the conference.
Last year the police in Johannesburg arrested Radovan Krejcir who was sought by the Czech Republic for more than two years on charges of fraud involving hundreds of millions of Euros and conspiracy to commit murder.
Mr Lalla said the capture of Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, who was wanted by the US for his involvement in the bombing of the American Embassy in Tanzania, in 1999 in Cape Town, was also a great victory against terrorism for Africa and the world.
He said South Africa has managed to search and arrest more than 250 international most wanted criminals in the space of five years and there were more to be executed before 2010.
Interpol was created in 1923 to facilitate cross-boarder cooperation in the location and apprehension of fugitives and it remains a cornerstone to support law enforcement in its 187 member countries.
There are more than 15 000 fugitive notices currently in circulation around the world and in 2007 more than 600 people have been arrested on the basis of Interpol notices.
Since 2000 almost 27 000 fugitives who were the subjects of Interpol notices and diffusions have been caught.
The Director of US Marshals Services, John Clark said each and every fugitive represents a threat to public safety and global security.
"Fugitives' specific circumstances usually lead them to commit additional crimes in order to be able to stay on the run.
"Every minute they are free weakens our citizens' trust in the criminal justice system and diminishes their confidence in the ability of law enforcement to protect them," he said.
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