The search portal bundles police searches from North Rhine-Westphalia in a standardized, structured and clear manner in one place. Citizens can easily access the portal via the "Investigation" tab on polizei.nrw, or on the website of their authority.
In addition to the usual mugshots, video and audio files of wanted persons will also be published here in future. The "Note for your safety" immediately alerts the user if a perpetrator is considered particularly dangerous because they may be armed or considered ready to use violence. Sensitive images with potentially shocking content are not immediately visible, but must be activated with a separate click.
The "Report" button makes it possible to contact the police quickly and easily. Links to the search portals of other federal states and neighboring countries complete the concept.
What can I search for in the search portal?
The portal is divided into the following categories:
- Known suspects (perpetrators are known by name, their whereabouts are not),
- Unknown suspects (perpetrators are not known by name and their whereabouts are not known),
- Missing persons (who are not found during immediate police measures)
- Unknown dead persons (who cannot be identified),
- Wanted items (which were stolen during a crime),
- secured items (presumed to have been taken in a crime and are looking for their owner)
The user can make a preselection here or filter by location or offense,
for example.
How can I give the police a tip in the wanted persons portal?
Have you recognized a wanted person or identified a recovered piece of jewelry as yours? The "Give a tip" button will take you directly to the NRW police Internet watch. Of course, you also have the option of submitting your tip by telephone or e-mail to the relevant search department or in person at one of the police stations around the clock.
Central publication
The LKA NRW publishes searches centrally in the search portal and also deletes them again. The responsible district police authority submits an application to the search department of the LKA NRW. The search is only published after it has been checked there. If the search is successful before it expires, it is deleted immediately.
Prerequisites for the public search for criminals
The search for criminals in and with the help of the public is the last resort and as such is subject to clear legal requirements under the German Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO).
The police may only search in public and therefore online if other search measures that are less detrimental to the person concerned
- do not appear sufficiently promising,
- have already been unsuccessful or
- are not expected to lead to success or not in time.
If danger is imminent and things need to move really quickly, the police can also order a public search themselves. However, this measure must be confirmed by a judge within one week.
