Palma.A new appeal was launched yesterday to mark the fifth anniversary of Operation Captura, with the campaign featuring ten suspected criminals believed to be hiding in one of the most popular countries for British ex-patriates.
Half of the appeals are new, while the other five are subjects already publicised through Operation Captura who are being re-issued as all five are wanted for murder.
One of them, Allan James Foster - also known as Shaun Michael Wilkinson - 39, from South Shields, Tyneside, is wanted in connection with the murder of David Noddy Rice in a car park in May 2006, and for drug and diamond theft offences. He has links to Majorca and is circled in red above.
The successful multi-agency campaign identifies serious criminals on the run wanted by UK law enforcement agencies for crimes committed in the UK. Since Operation Captura launched in October 2006, 46 out of 60 criminals have been arrested, with many now behind bars.
Crimestoppers and SOCA work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in Madrid and with British and Spanish law enforcement agencies. The campaign highlights appeals for information on criminals who have European Arrest Warrants (EAWs) issued against them. Information given to Crimestoppers can help locate these criminals so that arrests can be carried out by the Spanish police.
Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Founder and Chair of Crimestoppers, said: Operation Captura is a unique partnership that has seen huge success in bringing some of the UK's most wanted fugitives to justice. A small number of suspected criminals see Spain as a safe place to evade law enforcement but, thanks to the confidence the UK, Spanish and ex-pat communities have in Crimestoppers, these individuals will not be able to escape justice for much longer. James Brokenshire MP, Minister for Crime and Security at The Home Office, said: Crimestoppers, SOCA and all the agencies involved in Operation Captura have made an incredibly valuable contribution to our efforts to pursue criminals and bring them to justice. With over three quarters of Britain's most wanted in Spain arrested over the last five years, fugitives still on the run should be in no doubt that they have nowhere to hide. When crime crosses borders it is more important than ever to work closely with our international partners in order to keep the UK safe. Operation Captura is a great example of this policing and security cooperation in action. It shows that by working imaginatively and flexibly together we can stop criminals in their tracks and bring to bear the full force of the law. For those people calling Crimestoppers from Spain there is a special freephone 900 555 111 telephone number which will be answered in the UK by Crimestoppers' call agents and a translation service is available upon request. People can also pass on information anonymously via the Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111 or via its online Giving Information Form.