Interpol involvement bolsters prosecution of pirates

With the monsoon season limiting the number of pirate attacks off Somalia, the fight against piracy has entered a new phase.

Interpol, the international police organization, is starting to collect finger prints of suspected pirates, photographs, even DNA samples in an effort to collect hard evidence for pirate prosecutions.

Whenever I think of Interpol I think of the Pink Panther, but the systematic gathering of evidence is necessary if you're going to really prosecute these guys. Whether it's much of a deterrent in a country where the rule of law is nugatory is another matter.