During the 2010 Fifa World Cup, global police agency Interpol says it conducted nearly 600 000 on-the-spot checks against its databases, which contain more than 63 000 wanted persons. This resulted in nearly 100 hits against entries in its 'stolen and lost travel documents' (STLD), nominal, and 'stolen motor vehicles '(SMV) databases.
This is despite many concerns about security during the tournament. There were fears that the month-long sporting event, which got the attention of billions of soccer fans, was going to be a target for terrorists, human traffickers, and other international criminal activities. Many believed SA's security measures where not sufficient to prevent such incidents.
The organisation says collaboration with the South African Police Services (SAPS) was integral to the success of the World Cup's security strategy, which ensured the safety of participants and spectators countrywide.
According to Interpol, these efforts led to one significant arrest in which a fugitive wanted by France and Bahrain for counterfeit currency, criminal association and money laundering was arrested.
The agency adds it was able to support SAPS investigations into a suspected fraudulent passport producing network operating from Pretoria, with clients across the globe.
“When SAPS arrested 21 Pakistani nationals for distributing fraudulent ID documents, Interpol's team immediately ensured their photographs and fingerprints were compared with the Interpol general secretariat databases and also shared with the Interpol National Central Bureau in Islamabad,” the organisation says.
“The spectacle saw SA hosting more than one million visitors without any major incident,” he adds.
According to Interpol, one of the gravest threats during major events is criminals using falsified, stolen or lost passports to conceal their identities, and entering the country to perpetrate crimes. It says the integration of its databases with SA's police systems helped prevent this.
The organisation explains that the SAPS was able to instantly query Interpol's global databases, including those for SLTD - which contains nearly 22 million entries including more than 12 million passports - and its SMV database, containing more than seven million entries.
To enable the exchange of urgent messages and vital police data such as fingerprints, images and wanted persons notices with any of Interpol's 188 member countries, Interpol in SA has a connection to I-24/7, Interpol's global police communications system. It says this provided direct access not only to the organisation's global databases, but also the secure Interpol network.
With direct access to the Interpol Batch Search Web Service - known as I-Batch - Interpol staff deployed for the World Cup processed and checked thousands of identity details for targeted flights.
“One particular case enabled the SAPS to identify a South American traveller as a known hooligan with a violent criminal history. He was refused entry into SA and returned to his home country,” the organisation says.
Jean-Michel Louboutin, Interpol's executive director of police services, who headed up the Interpol team deployed in SA, says: “SA established a high threshold for communications and security procedures, enabling Interpol to utilise its resources to assist in this undertaking.
“This experience provides a blueprint for future major sporting events in relation to police preparation and processes,” he adds.
Interpol has played a role in security provision for a range of major events, including the Beijing Olympics, the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany, the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, and the 2007 Cricket World Cup hosted by nine countries in the Caribbean.
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