Hunt for Britain's Most Wanted hits the Costas
Jessica Jones - [email protected]
Published: 7 Jul, 2015 CET.Updated: Tue 7 Jul 2015 08:42 CET
A 13-foot-high digital screen broadcasting the faces of 18 of Britain’s Most Wanted fugitives is on tour around British ex-pat hot spots in Spain, with British crime fighting agencies hoping the scheme will flush out the country's Most Wanted criminals. It’s the latest push by crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to track down the 18 remaining individuals wanted as part of Operation Captura. The fugitives are wanted by UK law enforcement agencies in connection with crimes including murder, rape, indecent assault of a child and drug trafficking. And they are believed to be hiding among British communities in popular ex-pat areas - including Benidorm, Malaga and Puerto Banus. The digital screen, attached to the back of a van, is touring all these areas and parking outside nightclubs, bars, British supermarkets and restaurants. 
Photo: Crimestoppers Crimestoppers hopes that going directly to potential locations of the criminals and putting their faces in plain sight will help to flush them out. “This is something that we have never done before, but we believe that broadcasting these fugitives’ faces right in their back yards will not only encourage the public to speak up but show these individuals that there really is nowhere to hide," said Roger Critchell, Director of Operations for Crimestoppers, in a statement. “There will be no avoiding the faces on this screen – they’ll be broadcast in all the popular ex-pat areas. “I would urge anyone who recognises any of those faces to contact Crimestoppers anonymously. We don’t take personal details and you won’t have to give a statement or go to court. “Many of these fugitives are currently living a life of leisure funded by serious crime. They cannot be allowed to hide forever, they must be brought to justice. Do the right thing and help us find them.” Captura, a multi-agency initiative between Crimestoppers, the NCA and Spanish authorities, is now in its ninth year. Its aim is to track down British fugitives believed to be hiding among ex-pat communities in the Spanish Costas. To date, 68 out of 86 wanted individuals have been apprehended. A fresh appeal in March this year saw three fugitives captured within a matter of weeks. Convicted killer Shane Walford, 38, from Coventry, was detained in the Canary Islands in March - just days after the appeal. Paul Monk, 54, from Romford, Essex was arrested in April at his home in Alicante, Spain. He was wanted for drugs offences. Jason McDonald, 37, originally from Bristol, was picked up by police at an apartment in Amsterdam hours later. He was also wanted for drugs offences. Information given to Crimestoppers can help locate the fugitives on the Captura list. For those people calling from Spain there is a special freephone Spanish number 900 555 111 which will be answered in the UK by Crimestoppers’ call agents. A translation service is available upon request. People can also pass on information anonymously via the Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org Comments
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It’s the latest push by crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to track down the 18 remaining individuals wanted as part of Operation Captura.
The fugitives are wanted by UK law enforcement agencies in connection with crimes including murder, rape, indecent assault of a child and drug trafficking.
And they are believed to be hiding among British communities in popular ex-pat areas - including Benidorm, Malaga and Puerto Banus.
The digital screen, attached to the back of a van, is touring all these areas and parking outside nightclubs, bars, British supermarkets and restaurants.
Photo: Crimestoppers
Crimestoppers hopes that going directly to potential locations of the criminals and putting their faces in plain sight will help to flush them out.
“This is something that we have never done before, but we believe that broadcasting these fugitives’ faces right in their back yards will not only encourage the public to speak up but show these individuals that there really is nowhere to hide," said Roger Critchell, Director of Operations for Crimestoppers, in a statement.
“There will be no avoiding the faces on this screen – they’ll be broadcast in all the popular ex-pat areas.
“I would urge anyone who recognises any of those faces to contact Crimestoppers anonymously. We don’t take personal details and you won’t have to give a statement or go to court.
“Many of these fugitives are currently living a life of leisure funded by serious crime. They cannot be allowed to hide forever, they must be brought to justice. Do the right thing and help us find them.”
Captura, a multi-agency initiative between Crimestoppers, the NCA and Spanish authorities, is now in its ninth year.
Its aim is to track down British fugitives believed to be hiding among ex-pat communities in the Spanish Costas.
To date, 68 out of 86 wanted individuals have been apprehended.
A fresh appeal in March this year saw three fugitives captured within a matter of weeks.
Convicted killer Shane Walford, 38, from Coventry, was detained in the Canary Islands in March - just days after the appeal.
Paul Monk, 54, from Romford, Essex was arrested in April at his home in Alicante, Spain.
He was wanted for drugs offences. Jason McDonald, 37, originally from Bristol, was picked up by police at an apartment in Amsterdam hours later. He was also wanted for drugs offences.
Information given to Crimestoppers can help locate the fugitives on the Captura list. For those people calling from Spain there is a special freephone Spanish number 900 555 111 which will be answered in the UK by Crimestoppers’ call agents. A translation service is available upon request. People can also pass on information anonymously via the Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
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