MADRID – As part of Operation Most Wanted, the Policia Nacional and the Guardia Civil are working together with the British Security Forces to locate twelve UK fugitives thought to have fled to Spain. Less than 24 hours after writing this article, one of the 12 fugitives has been apprehended in Málaga. Now the police could arrest a second fugitive.
According to an official press release from the Ministry of the Interior, the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez Ruiz, indicated that Operation Most Wanted “allows us to strengthen and increase police collaboration between Spain and the United Kingdom in order to create a hostile environment that makes it difficult for criminals in Spain and the settlement of criminals in our cities”.
United efforts
“Now more than ever it is necessary to unite everyone’s efforts to provide a coordinated and effective response to the new challenges that the constant evolution of technology and the vertiginous intrinsic dynamism of our current society present us with regard to security”, added Rafael Perez.
The new Operation Most Wanted campaign was presented at a press conference in which Steve Rodhouse, General Director of Operations of the British National Crime Agency (NCA), and Mark Hallas, Director of the Crimestoppers organisation, also took part.
Public collaboration
The Ministry of the Interior and the NCA requested collaboration from the public to help locate these twelve new fugitives. Consequently the authorities added the twelve to the “most wanted” list of fugitives in the UK. Furthermore, their crimes include murder, large-scale drug trafficking, supplying firearms and ammunition, and serious assault, among others.
🔴@interiorgob y la @NCA_UK piden ayuda ciudadana para localizar a doce fugitivos de la Justicia británica que podrían estar en España
➡️@policia y @guardiacivil participan en la operación #UKMostWanted impulsada con el apoyo de @CrimestoppersUK
➕ℹ️👉 https://t.co/2hrNSxihAM pic.twitter.com/gMHzAz0J8v
— Ministerio del Interior (@interiorgob) January 19, 2022
The Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Spain, Sarah Cowley, highlighted that “the Most Wanted campaign is just one example of the successful cooperation that exists between the British and Spanish law enforcement agencies. We are united as partners in the face of common threats and challenges. We share not only our experience and expertise but also goals and values”.
Related post: Spain’s most wanted fugitive arested in Germany
“In this way, we make both countries safer for citizens. For which I would like to thank our Spanish colleagues from the National Police and the Civil Guard. And for the role they play in this campaign. And, more broadly, their constant collaboration in the face of the challenges we have in common”.
Operation Most Wanted
Operation Most Wanted is a project of the British National Crime Agency (NCA) and the non-governmental non-profit organisation Crimestoppers. They have launched it in 2006. The project has the collaboration, in Spain, of the Secretary of State for Security and the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Madrid. Included in its list of most wanted who could have been hiding in Spain, were 95 fugitives. Subsequently, 86 have already been located and arrested in recent years.
Information about fugitives
If you recognise any of these twelve fugitives or have information, you can contact the authorities anonymously.
Click here for full details on the fugitives and information on how to make a report. Alternatively, from a UK number, call 0800 555 111, or from a Spanish number, call 900 926 111.
One down
Addition to original article: Since the first publication, the police arrested one fugitive in Málaga.
🚩 Localizado uno de los 12 #fugitivos de la lista de delincuentes más buscados por el #ReinoUnido en #España
En menos de 24 horas desde el inicio de una nueva edición de la Operación #UKMostWanted impulsada con el apoyo de @CrimestoppersUK
Ha sido detenido en #Málaga pic.twitter.com/4Ek021GK1U
— Policía Nacional (@policia) January 21, 2022
