South Africans are winning the fight against crime, with fewer incidents of violence occurring than before, and perceptions of a crime-infested society are stronger than the reality, says Trevor Bloem, the spokesperson for Charles Nqakula, the minister of safety and security. “Studies show that despite crime statistics reflecting a decrease in criminal activity in certain … SA’S CRIME STATS SHOW A DECLINE

MONTREAL — Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba will form a common front in the fight against organized crime, pledging to share information with each other in order to bring more criminals to justice. The attorneys general from the three provinces signed an agreement Friday that aims to stem the growth of increasingly sophisticated criminal networks. “As … THREE PROVINCES JOIN FORCES ON ORGANIZED CRIME

TEGUCIGALPA, Sep 15 (IPS) – Soaring violent crime rates could jeopardise democracy in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras over the next few years if only strong-arm (‘mano dura’) tactics are used to fight crime and the deeper underlying causes of the violence are not addressed, experts warn. The number of serious crimes has climbed since … CENTRAL AMERICA: SOARING VIOLENT CRIME THREATENS DEMOCRACY

Andrei Kozlov, the top Russian central bank official shot on Wednesday night, was a frontline fighter in the battle against financial crime, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said. “He was a very brave and honest man and through his activity he repeatedly encroached on the interests of unprincipled financiers,” Kudrin was quoted by Reuters as saying … MURDERED RUSSIAN BANKER BATTLED ORGANIZED CRIME

The government has urged businesses and financial institutions to help combat organised criminal gangs in Northern Ireland. The government estimates that organised crime costs the Northern Ireland economy up to £700m each year. The Organised Crime Task Force appealed for help in catching those responsible at a seminar in Belfast. Bank officials, accountants, estate agents, … HELP URGED OVER ORGANISED CRIME

Swedish police have pinpointed 100 ‘particularly interesting’ people in the fight against organised crime. A number of authorities are working with the police to identify these key players in Sweden’s crime networks. As well as the prosecution office, the Tax Board, Customs and the Economic Crimes Bureau have contributed to the intelligence gathering, according to … POLICE IDENTIFY KEY NAMES BEHIND SWEDISH ORGANISED CRIME

Police and customs authorities need increased authority, personnel and capital to fight and uproot the sales and distribution of narcotics in Iceland, according to Jóhann R. Benediktsson, District Commissioner for the Keflavík airport. He believes that an organized crime ring from Lithuania has taken root in Iceland and is engaged in the import, distribution and … ICELAND: POLICE AND CUSTOMS STRUGGLE WITH ORGANIZED CRIME