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Europol has launched a search for 18 of the allegedly most dangerous sex offenders in Europe. As announced by the European police authority in The Hague, fugitive criminals and suspects will be caught through the “Europe’s Most Wanted” campaign. Those wanted are already convicted or are urgently suspected.
Sex crimes are among the worst crimes, Europol said. “Almost every two minutes a sex crime is committed in the EU.” Sexual violence can affect anyone, but women and children are primarily the victims.
With the online campaign, the European police authority asks citizens for help. Wanted profiles can be viewed on a website and on social media for four weeks; these are exclusively men. 19 countries participate in the campaign. Notes can be submitted anonymously online. The responsible national investigators would then be informed directly.
Among those wanted is a German who was accused by the Cologne police of raping a minor. The 32-year-old man, who was born in Darmstadt, is said to have sexually abused a 16-year-old woman from Cologne on two occasions in November 2017. According to investigators, they are investigating clues that the man might be abroad.
Europol’s first “Most Wanted” campaign was carried out in 2016. A targeted search is carried out online and across Europe for a limited number of refugees. Since then, according to information from Europol, 91 offenders have been arrested. In 33 cases, the decisive clue came from the population.
