Attorney General to Meet with International Prosecutors

PUBLIC PROSECUTION SERVICE--Attorney General to Meet with International Prosecutors

Nova Scotia will be represented at the annual conference of the International Association of Prosecutors beginning Sept. 8 in London, England, where trafficking and terrorism are on the agenda.

Attorney General Michael Baker and Director of Public Prosecutions Martin Herschorn are attending this four-day conference to learn more about international trafficking of drugs, money and people and about terrorism.

"These issues are of increasing importance here in Nova Scotia," said Mr. Baker. "We're a coastline province, the site of a major North American seaport and we're in close proximity to the United States. So we're particularly vulnerable to all kinds of trafficking."

Mr. Baker, who was designated to lead Nova Scotia's security efforts last fall in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in the United States, said it will be highly beneficial to get a global perspective on terrorism and the prosecutorial issues involved.

"The exchange of information and ideas and increased co-operation on an international level is crucial to the successful prosecution of these crimes," said the Attorney General.

While in London, Mr. Baker will also be meeting with the assistant commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Service, who is responsible for special operations, to discuss security issues. He will also meet with the Canadian High Commissioner to explore the European response to the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

The International Association of Prosecutors is the only world organization of prosecutors. It was established in June 1995 in the face of rising transnational criminal activity in order to increase international co-operation between prosecutors. Some 200,000 individual prosecutors and 81 prosecuting agencies, including the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service, are members of the association. Members represent 90 countries around the world.