JHA Minister Gueant to EuroFora: Franco-German Police Cooperation v. Organized Crime to inspire EU

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/-  The current need and possibility to take Efficient Measures to tackle Organized Crime by Eastern Gangs acting at EU's core, is to be raised by France at EU Council of Ministers, after a landmark success of Franco-German Police to catch a Gang of Burglars who used the centrality of Strasbourg's area in order to launch a growing series of attacks also in Neighbouring Countries, from Switzerland to Luxemburg, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc. operating until Paris' outskirts  (Verdun) and even up to Berlin, as Top Minister of Interior and Immigration, Claude Gueant, a close collaborator of French President Sarkozy and an experienced long-time Senior Official, anounced to Journalists in Strasbourg, including to "EuroFora". (+See also infra on Gueant's exclusive, supplementary statements, on this and another Topical issues, in reply to "EuroFora"s questions).
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    Gueant, an experienced former Secretary General of Presidential palace Elysee and succesful Director of the winning 2007 Electoral campaign of French President Sarkozy, who has recently called, together with German Chancelor Merkel, a call to boost Franco-German "Integration" as an exampe for all €uroZone, (See "EuroFora"s NewsReports from Freiburg's and Paris' Franco-German Summits of 12/2010 and 8/2011, respectively), found this "exemplary" case of Franco-German Cooperation "Impressive", as he stressed in reply to an "EuroFora" question on the EU-Dimension of such cases :

    - "Do you mean that a Franco-German Police  Cooperation succeeded to efficiently face a Criminal Gang acting all over Europe from Strasbourg ?", we asked him to clarify :

    - "Yes, that's what was already done in this case" : F.ex. "in Berlin, this Gang had committed some 500 Burglaries, which is a considerable Number", Gueant revealed in reply to "EuroFora"'s Question.

    - "What is Interesting is that (this Gang) launched its Raids (throughout the EU) starting from right here ! (i.e. Strasbourg)". Because, "from here, they could go to Switzerland, to Germany, to Luxembourg, even up to Berlin, (etc).  That's impressive !", the experienced French Minister underlined, showing that .. even Burglers had practically recognized Strasbourg City's "Cental" location in the post-2004 Enlarged and ReUnified EU...
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 - The Franco-German coordinated action on Justice and Home affairs in this landmark case, as well as in others, was earlier qualified by Gueant as "Important" :

  - Today, when facts oblige us to "create a New Formula for Police Cooperation at EU level (See infra), "this Formula could find an Example at the precedent of the Franco-German Cooperation", where "we don't have any problem at all : I'd say that it all works as if we were One Country !", Gueant admired.

- "We can always do better, but I observe that in this case we had a "very Efficient" "Cooperation between French and German Police", as well as between "Judges", and "we had the pleasure to see many German Policemen work togeher with their French collegues, in a way which shows an Excellent cooperation", he noted.
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 - "This Enquiry revealed ... a very organized, centralized gang, which operated in Alsace (Region), and particularly Strasbourg, (i.e. close to the Franco-German borders of Rhine River), but also, more and more towards Neighbouring EU Countries, up to Berlin. More than 100 Burglaries were thus already elucidated, and it should be possible to add even more, mainly on neighboring countries", Gueant pointed out from the outset.

+ In particular, "we were Surprised to find out, -and that's one of the Lessons learned in this affair of Gangsters-, that the greatest part of this recent renewed wave of Burglaries (See infra) is largely attributed, both by the Police, as well as by the Victims and many affected Citizens, -even if we don't have yet precise Statistics, that we are currently trying to establish-, mainly to individals coming from some Eastern Countries, either Members, or even Non-Members of the EU", he observed.

=> - That's why "I intend to raise this issue at the table of EU's Council of Ministers, because we need an (EU) Agreement in order to strengthen Cooperation between Police and Judges, so that we'll succeed to put an end to this plague",  the French Top Minister anounced.

    + It's clear, f.ex., that among various practical measures, one is to seize the belongings of those involved in criminal activities, particularly when such belongings were constituted precisely thanks to Thefts commited on Goods located in Neighbouring Countries. So, we must have a very Close Cooperation with all the Countries concerned", he stressed.
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    - After falling down during 2007 - 2008, when Burglaries had been initially Reduced for - 30%, later-on, they re-started anew to augment, particularly since the 2009 Global Crisis, and we must react to that efficiently, Gueant warned.

    - "On this occasion, it is astonishing to note, once again, that, whenever there are Arrests, the number of burglaries spontaneously falls down fast", he reminded.

    + Moreover, in this case, many stolen and other objects (including Fire Arms) were confiscated thanks to this trans-border Police Cooperation, and several among them already restituted to their lawfull owners, as, f.ex., some Mercedes Cars, etc .

    - Therefore, "I came to congratulate Strasbourg's Gendarms, as well as several Judges who all helped to obtain such results", and "anounce a number of Decisions in order to face a come-back of burglaries :"

    1) The move includes, f.ex. "Preventive Police presence" on hot-spots, bringing together more Gerdarmes and Policemen, in a New Plan., etc."

    "A 2nd point is to "become more Vigilent", well aware of today's risks. F.ex. by developing, together with the Gendarmerie, a so-called plan of "Vigilent Neighbours", who might spot whether a House stays Empty, and, if there is a problem, alert the nearest gendarms".

    + "A 3rd, important orientation, to set up from next weeks together with the Minister of Justice, is to really put into Prison many of those who were already condemned at least for 1 Year of prison, definitively, but haven't yet been jailed. Because, otherwise, particularly when they have been condemned for Burglaries - a priority-, they risk to continue doing what they know best, f.ex. commit even more burglaries, etc. Prevent that is both a question of Principle, since they were already found guilty and definitively condemned, as well as a Practical measure able to avoid more such crimes to be anew commited.

    + 4th, and Last, but not least, EU must step up its Police Coordination" Gueant stressed in Conclusion, pointing at the above mentioned anouncement of forthcoming Initiatives at EU level, (See supra).

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+ German Police Director at Baden-Wurtemberg's Länder, Hönig to "EuroFora" on EU Citizens action against TransBorder Crime: :  - "Simple !"
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Meanwhile, Gueant's enthousiasm in this regard, was strongly backed also by the German Director of Criminal Police at the neighbouring Baden Wurtemberg Federated State, Hr. Hönig, according to what he told journalists in Strasbourg, including "EuroFora" :

    In particular, EU Citizens' action against transborder Crime, in the framework of Franco-German Police Cooperation , was praised also by the Top German Official as "Exemplary" and "Impressive", while also further explained :

    - in the present case, the anti-Burglers Police operation initially started "at the German side", and soon involved "also the collegues from the French side" of the Rhine river, he noted.

   
    + "Questioned by "EuroFora" how EU Citizens could lodge a Complaint for something which occured at the other side of the Rhine river, and how Investigations are made in that case, the Head of Baden Wurtemberg's Criminal Police replied that :

     - EU "Citizens can lodge a Complaint in eiher side of the (Franco-German) Border, regardless of their Nationaliy". What counts, for the Police Investigation is to know where the Facts took place".

    - "F.ex., in this case, Facts spread in both sides, so that there were Police Investigations both in Germany and in France, but, finally, the culprits were found and arrested at the French side", he observed.

    But it's also important for Judges to cooperate well between them, because it's they  who legalize our Investigations and actions, it was also added.

    In practice, Citizens may lodge their Complaints in either side of the Border, and a Joint Franco-German Police Office at nearby Kehl finds out in which side took place the main facts, in order to send the file to the concerned Police service. If it's related to Organized Crime, then, we pick up the case and start dealing with it at our level, often in Cooperation between the French and German side. But when a case doesn't concern Organized Crime, then, the best is to lodge a complain "on the spot", if possible, other German Police Officials added to "EuroFora".