Justice Minister Koen Geens launched the ‘Belgium’s most wanted’ Internet site on Friday at the office of the Federal Police in Brussels. The site displays the names of the criminals most sought by the Belgian authorities after being found guilty of serious crimes by a Belgian criminal court.
The list, comparable to the ‘Most wanted’ lists of U.S. Marshalls, contained 20 names at its launch on Friday morning. The Federal Police’s Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) will alert the public via the media whenever a new name is added.
On the website, the photo of each fugitive is accompanied by a description and a summary of the acts he or she is accused of. The public can post information directly onto the site, even anonymously.
"The active search for big criminals is not only a priority for the police and the justice system; it also helps citizens feel safe,” Geens said. "The victims of serious incidents would feel a deep injustice if criminals could escape from their penalties. With 'Belgium's most wanted' we shall contribute to the effective enforcement of penalties. Crime can never and will never pay.”
The minister said he had begun preliminary work to set up a complete, coherent system of enforcing sentences, particularly by extending to convicted persons investigation methods already being used for suspects. He is scheduled to present a bill in Parliament in 2017 that seeks to eliminate the incongruities of Belgian legislation with the laws of other European countries.
(Source: Belga)
