Spain and Britain are looking into ways of enhancing further cooperation between the two countries law enforcements agencies in the fight against transnational crimes and traffickers.
Top British and Spanish security officials held lately a meeting in Madrid to set out cooperation guidelines and policies for recovering financial assets from fugitive crooks.
According to some security experts, criminals are known to move their assets overseas where it is harder for law enforcement agencies to reach them. More UK criminal assets are thought to be in Spain than any other EU country.
The two countries expressed commitment to working together to enforce confiscation orders against British and Spanish criminals after they are brought before the courts and convicted.
They also agreed to assist each other in the recovery of criminal assets and deepen their cooperation in confiscation cases. The two countries mull setting up a joint law enforcement system, by appointing a British recovery specialist to be stationed in Spain, while the United Kingdom should host a Spanish liaison magistrate.
During the past five years, cooperation between the two countries has led to the arrest of several of Britain’s most wanted in Spain, which sent a clear message to fugitives that “there is no hiding place for criminals on the run”.
Spain and UK have agreed to foster further their cooperation within the EU, sharing criminal record data about sex offenders and those involved the sexual exploitation of children.
The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) introduced in 2004 has made it easier for European police forces to return criminals to face justice in the country where they are accused of a crime.
