Serious Offending by Mobile European Criminals: Comparative field work report.

Abstract

A number of tragic examples have exposed weaknesses within the European Union (EU) where a serious violent or sexual offender has travelled to one Member State from another without any public safety organisation within the receiving Member State being made aware of the harm they may pose.1 Often only once a further criminal act has occurred have checks been made, revealing antecedents and an indication of the previously known concerns. Serious violent or sexual offenders are therefore able to integrate into communities across the EU free from any management, supervision or surveillance, which may lead to an increase in the risk to public safety. Whilst significant strides have been made in EU community law enforcement cooperation to address issues of organised crime, human trafficking, child exploitation, terrorism and football hooliganism, the “common interest” of protecting EU citizens from the single transient serious violent or sexual offender has not been so apparent.