SA leads global fugitives hunt
16 October 2009
A recent global hunt for criminals on the run from the law around the world attracted the biggest support from South Africans, a conference in Australia heard this week, with SA's pioneering Crime Line the driving force behind the country's response.
When the global fugitive round-up operation, dubbed "Operation Infra-Red", was launched in June by Interpol and Crime Stoppers International (CSI), South Africa recorded the highest number of visits to the CSI website.
Over 120 photographs of the world's most wanted criminals were posted on South Africa's Crime Line website, and many published in the South African media.
Speaking at Crime Stoppers International's annual conference in Queensland, Australia this week, Operation Infra-Red commander Valentine Smith said that 23 313 visitors, almost 40% of total visitors, to the CSI website in June were from South Africa.
"This is phenomenal considering that we gave Crime Line 48 hours to launch the wanted campaign in South Africa," said Smith, who works for Australia's Victoria Police Intelligence. "We also received a number of tip-offs from South Africa, and investigations into many of the cases are continuing."
Eight re-captured, 45 located
Eight fugitives were re-captured in various parts of the world following the operation, while a further 45 fugitives have possibly been located. Among those recaptured are major drug dealers, murderers, a rapist and sex offenders.
Drug smuggler Bruce "Vito" Veniero, known as "the Grass King of the US", was nabbed in Argentina after being on the run from the US authorities for 10 years.
Smith said the success of Operation Infra-Red in South Africa was largely thanks to the massive media support.
"Other countries should talk to the South African delegation and learn from them," Smith told conference delegates from Europe, Asia, the USA, Canada, the Caribbean and Australia. "The media in South Africa must be praised for the awareness it created around this global fugitive round-up operation."
Crime Line
South Africa's Crime Line – including the anonymous 32211 text tip-off service and www.crimeline.co.za – has led to almost 830 arrests to date and around R31-million in confiscations of stolen goods.
In 2007, South Africa became the first country to introduce text or SMS messaging in the fight against crime, and various countries have since followed suit. The initiative was launched by advertising and media company Primedi with the full support of the government and police, and numerous local and foreign partnerships have formed around it.
Crime Line head Yusuf Abramjee told the CSI conference that South Africa was ready to spread the Crime Line and CSI message to all corners of the African continent, with Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia and Botswana having already shown interest.
"We will continue to form partnerships and share the South African experience," Abramjee said. "At the same time, we are here to learn from other countries. We have one global enemy – crime. We must all work together and fight this scourge."
During the conference, three South Africans were formally welcomed onto the board of directors of Crime Stoppers International – a first for the African continent.
They were: Abramjee, Assistant Police Commissioner Vinesh Moonoo of the South African Police Service, and his colleague, Senior Superintendent Attie Lamprecht.
SAinfo reporter
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