They can’t show mugshots of most wanted crooks as it infringes human rights
Farce of Europol ‘badvent’ calendar
IN A bid to catch some of Europe’s most wanted criminals, law-enforcement officials came up with a brilliant plan – a seasonal ‘badvent’ calendar featuring those wanted for murder, kidnap, terrorism and drug-trafficking.
There’s only one snag: they can’t show the mugshots online in case they infringe the human rights of the offenders.
So in a bizarre twist, Europol has been forced to black out the fugitives’ eyes on Twitter and Facebook – making them considerably harder to identify.
The move is a result of strict data-protection and humanrights laws in some European Union countries.
Gerrit van de Kamp, chairman of the European Police Union, said last night: ‘It would be nice that we don’t have to deal with these kinds of small issues but otherwise it’s part of law and the protection of people and their rights. Sometimes it is frustrating, but it is part of our job.’
The calendar was launched on Thursday, when Europol appealed for help in finding Tibor Foco, who is on the run from prison after being jailed for murdering a prostitute in Austria 30 years ago.
On Friday, it circulated the details of a Bulgarian who slit his victim’s throat, while yesterday’s wanted man was someone who tried to kill two car dealers. In each case, the photos were published on social networks with the eyes blacked out.
Some countries allow suspects to be identified on social networks but others do not, so Europol has to abide by their restrictions.
Some countries believe that a defendant may not get a fair trial if their image is still being shared online after they are caught.
Europol is, however, able to publish the mugshots on its own website as they can easily be deleted if the suspect is arrested.