U.S. and the Netherlands sign agreement to prevent and combat serious crimes

U.S. and the Netherlands sign agreement to prevent and combat serious crimes

2010-11-20 06:00:27 GMT+7 (ICT)

THE HAGUE (BNO NEWS) -- The United States and the Netherlands on Friday signed a Preventing and Combating Serious Crime (PCSC) agreement to exchange biometric and biographic data to fight terrorism while protecting individual privacy.

The PCSC was signed by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy secretary Jane Holl Lute and Dutch Security and Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten with the objective of tackling existing and emerging threats of terrorism and to support law enforcement efforts.

"Faced with ever-evolving transnational threats, it is critical that we enable law enforcement officers in the United States and the Netherlands to more quickly and efficiently investigate crime and prevent criminals and terrorists from entering our respective countries," said Lute.

Under the agreement, the U.S. and the Netherlands will use state-of-the-art technology to share law enforcement data, including fingerprints, to better identify known terrorists and criminals during investigations and other law enforcement activities.

The agreement highlights the best practices for sharing vital information to help prevent serious threats to public security as well as measures to ensure the protection and privacy of citizens in both countries.

"In today's society law enforcement agencies should be able to prevent and combat crime and terrorism efficiently in a way that respects both the national legislation and the standards on privacy," said Minister Opstelten. "I am proud that the PCSC-agreement provides a solid basis for these goals and I look forward to continuing our intensive cooperation with the United States in this important field."

The United States has signed similar agreements to prevent and combat terrorism and other crimes with 17 international partners so far. The agreements prevent an individual to commit a crime in one country and continuing engaging in illicit acts in another nation.

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