afrol News, 2 March - The INTERPOL has issued an international Orange Notice Security alert following a mass jail break of 97 prisoners in Abengourou, Côte d'Ivoire near the border with Ghana. So far, only eleven prisoners were reported recaptured.

According to the INTERPOL communiqué, the 86 escaped fugitives are considered a serious threat to the civilian population and law enforcement, based on the range of their offences that put them behind bars.

The international body which was repotedly notified by INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Côte d'Ivoire’s capital Abidjan, has sent alerts including detailed information on the fugitives to its 187 member countries to help law enforcement officers worldwide.

INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said availing key identification elements to officers on the ground is crucial in limiting a fugitive’s ability to travel across borders fleeing justice.

“By asking for INTERPOL's assistance, the authorities in Côte d'Ivoire ensured that all INTERPOL member countries were made aware that these men are dangerous and that their activities represent a security concern not only for Côte d'Ivoire but for the entire region too,” he said.

Meanwhile, INTERPOL has last Friday signed an agreement with Forensic Technology Inc., a Canadian company on the use of ballistics technology which will allow INTERPOL to act as the world’s first international hub for the cross-border exchange of ballistics data.

The system will allow the international electronic exchange and comparison of ballistics data between the 45 countries and territories which are already using the system on a national basis and other countries which will acquire the technology in the future.

The system captures digital images of the unique microscopic markings found on fired bullets and cartridge cases. An electronic signature is extracted from each image and compared against the database of previously entered images.

INTERPOL said the system can identify matches between pairs of spent bullets and cartridge cases within minutes, thus thereby helping forensic experts give police investigators more timely information about crimes, guns and suspects.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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