12.4 For Naval/Military forces to hold suspected
pirates, following a piracy incident, a witness statement from those
affected by the piracy incident is required. Seafarers are encouraged
to provide witness statements to Naval/Military forces or law enforcement
officers as appropriate when requested to do so to enable suspected
pirates to be held and handed over to prosecuting States. Without
supporting evidence, including witness statements from those affected
by the piracy incident, suspected pirates are unlikely to be prosecuted.
12.5 Law enforcement authorities will routinely
request permission to conduct post-release crew debriefs and to collect
evidence for ongoing and future investigations and prosecutions following
captivity. A thorough investigation is critical to ensure that potential
physical evidence, including electronic evidence, is not tainted or
destroyed or potential witnesses overlooked. The company and crew
are advised that the quality of evidence provided and the availability
of the crew to testify will significantly help any investigation or
prosecution that follows.
12.6 INTERPOL is an international police organisation
with 188 member countries which facilitates cross border police co-operation
to combat international crime.
12.7 INTERPOL has a secure website to provide
support to ship operators who have had their vessels hijacked by pirates.
INTERPOL recognise that seafarers as the victims of piracy must be
dealt with in a sympathetic and professional manner. INTERPOL’s
Maritime Piracy Task Force can assist in taking the appropriate steps
to preserve the integrity of the evidence left behind at the crime
scene. INTERPOL has a Command and Co-ordination Centre (CCC) which
supports any of the 188 member countries faced with a crisis situation
or requiring urgent operational assistance. The CCC operates in all
four of INTERPOL’s official languages—English, French,
Spanish and Arabic—and is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. It is recommended ship operators contact INTERPOL within 3 days
of a hijacking of their vessel.
12.8 INTERPOL may be consulted to discuss the
recommended best practices and protocols for the preservation of evidence
or other physical clues that could be useful to law enforcement agents
pursuing an investigation of the incident. The 24hr telephone contact
details for the CCC and INTERPOL’s Maritime Task Force website
are contained in Annex A and set out below:
CCC 24hr telephone helpline: - +33(0) 4 72 44 76 76 Website:
- www.interpol.int