[11 December 2008]

The crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is pleased to confirm that Most Wanted criminal, Daniel Paul Johnston, was arrested yesterday in Spain.

The appeal for Daniel Johnston was released in January this year with nine others wanted under Operation Captura. Johnston was wanted for carrying out two robberies, one attempted robbery and one theft in licensed stores in Derbyshire, between September 2004 and January 2005, usually armed with a knife.

Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Founder and Chairman of Crimestoppers said: “This is the fifteenth criminal to be arrested from the 30 appeals under Operation Captura 1. To achieve a fifty per cent success rate in just over two years of launching this initiative is extremely encouraging. This clearly shows how well multi-agency partnerships can work to help make communities safer and achieve justice. There are still many dangerous individuals still at large and we strongly urge people to look at the Most Wanted section of the Crimestoppers website to see if they may know any of them and to pass on information anonymously to the charity on 0800 555 111 or 900 555 111 from Spain.”

Denise Holt, CMG, British Ambassador to Spain, said: “The continuing success of this operation is a testament to the great partnership between Crimestoppers, the British Embassy, and the Spanish Authorities – but also of course to the people on the ground who have called the anonymous hotline and made life safer for everyone here in Spain. If you have information, keep calling.”

Keith Burke, another criminal wanted under Operation Captura 1 and was among the same batch of appeals as Johnston, was arrested in Skegness on 30 November by Lincolnshire Police. Burke was involved in a violent assault that took place in the toilets of “The Top Club” bar in Edlington, Doncaster on 8th July 2001. He was convicted and sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for affray.

Operation Captura identifies serious criminals wanted by UK law enforcement agencies for crimes committed in the UK. Crimestoppers and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff in Madrid, British and Spanish law enforcement agencies. The campaign highlights appeals for information on criminals who have European arrest warrants issued against them for crimes such as drug trafficking, murder and currency counterfeiting. Information given to Crimestoppers can help locate these criminals so that arrests can be carried out by the Spanish police.

Operation Captura 1 focused on the Malaga area of Spain and Operation Captura 2, launched in November this year is targeting UK criminals in the Alicante region. From the 10 appeals released under Operation Captura 2, four criminals have so far been captured.

Calls to the freephone Spanish 900 555 111 telephone number will be answered in the UK by Crimestoppers' call agents and a translation service is available upon request. People can also pass on information anonymously via the online Giving Information form on Crimestoppers' website.

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For more information contact Crimestoppers' press office.

Notes to editors

Crimestoppers

• Crimestoppers is an independent charity dedicated to solving crimes and taking criminals off the streets. Around 17 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers. One person every five days is charged with murder.
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in over 87,000 arrests and charges. Over £103 million worth of property has been recovered and nearly £160 million worth of drugs.
• Crimestoppers UK was founded by Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Chairman of Trustees. In 1988, he launched Crimestoppers in the Metropolitan Police area. Crimestoppers is built on a three-way partnership between the business community, the police and the media.

Registered charity number: 1108687

Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA)
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by, but operationally independent from, the Home Office. SOCA is an intelligence-led agency with law enforcement powers and harm reduction responsibilities. Harm in this context is the damage caused to people and communities by serious organised crime. For further details visit www.soca.gov.uk.