INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN STOLEN VEHICLES CONCLUDES IN WARSAW

Press Release
SOC/CP/194

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN STOLEN VEHICLES CONCLUDES IN WARSAW

VIENNA, 4 December (UN Information Service) -- Representatives of law- enforcement agencies in 31 countries, insurance industries and car manufacturers ended a two-day United Nations conference in Warsaw yesterday with a strong call for new measures to combat the growing transnational trade in stolen vehicles.

Participants at the International Conference on Illicit Trafficking in Stolen Vehicles endorsed a model treaty intended to standardize how States deal with transborder theft and resale of cars, vans, motorcycles and other vehicles. The treaty would put an end to prevailing red tape and recognized injustices in the dealings of police, customs officials and other authorities confronted with the task of seizing and returning vehicles stolen in other countries or continents. It sets a new standard for putting the breaks on what has become a high-profit business for organized crime throughout the world.

Under the model treaty, States would clarify what constitutes theft or embezzlement of a vehicle. They would harmonize the types of data maintained on such cases, as well as the procedures for handling them. Parties to the treaty would take account of the difficulties faced by innocent owners seeking the return of motor vehicles which might end up on the other side of the world.

Delegates also urged States to support the efforts of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to establish a 24-hour international database as a tool for combating international trafficking in stolen cars. They recommended that all countries consider adopting compatible procedures for establishing car ownership -- an issue that has emerged as a daunting obstacle for law-enforcement agencies attempting to tackle the global car theft boom.

- 2 - Press Release SOC/CP/194 6 December 1996

The meeting was organized by the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Division of the United Nations in an effort to seek Governments' views on the problem. Opening the Conference on 2 December, Polish Prime Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz emphasized the growing threat posed by organized transnational crime in all its "insidious" forms, including the theft and resale of motor vehicles. He conveyed his Government's strong commitment to play a leading role in promoting international cooperation in combating cross-border crime cartels and stressed the importance of the Warsaw meeting in the development of specific recommendations that could improve cooperation in countering international car theft. Eduardo Vetere, Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Crime Division, said the problem of trafficking in stolen vehicles had grown in size and impact and was becoming increasingly transnational. In stealing and trading in motor vehicles, organized criminal groups were also engaged in the corruption of public officials and bribery of private sector employees, thereby undermining democratic and economic institutions. The Conference represented the first time the United Nations had brought together Governments and private enterprises in the field of crime control. Effective solutions would depend on collaboration between public institutions and the manufacturing and insurance industries. Discussion at the Conference centred on the preliminary results of a survey being conducted by the United Nations-affiliated European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation. The study is based on replies to a questionnaire which was sent out initially to European countries. The recommendations of the meeting will be considered at a follow-up session to be held in Moscow early next year and will subsequently be submitted to the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Attending the Conference were representatives of Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. Japan participated as an observer. Also participating were representatives of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, the European Commission, the Europol Drugs Unit, Interpol, the International Road Traffic Organization, the ARGOS Group of French insurance companies on vehicle theft matters, the European Insurance Committee, the Finnish Traffic Insurance Centre, the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, the International Touring Alliance, Mercedes Benz A.G., the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Renault S.A. and the Swedish Insurance Investigation Unit.

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