50 searches, 55 suspects, 928 data carriers and computers confiscated – this is the result of a large-scale child pornography raid in all Bavarian administrative districts. “Anyone who commits such crimes can never feel safe in Bavaria,” said Minister of Justice Georg Eisenreich (CSU) on Wednesday, referring to the large-scale operation called “Operation Wake-up call 2022”. The action took place on Tuesday, the investigators initially gave no details.
On Wednesday, the authorities presented details: 15 of the 55 cases identified relate to downloads of depictions of the most severe and extremely violent sexual abuse of children and infants. “What can be seen there, this level of cruelty, of violence, even long-standing investigators cannot easily put up with,” said Thomas Goger, head of the Center for Combating Child Pornography and Sexual Abuse on the Internet (ZKI), in October 2020 founded special unit.
23 suspects still confess on the spot
There were suspects in every governorate. They are between 18 and 73 years old, more than a third of them are under 30. According to Goger, 23 of them confessed on the spot. Where the suspicions are confirmed, there is a risk of imprisonment of at least one year.
There had already been a similar action in May 2021, at that time there were 51 suspects. Investigations into sexual abuse and child pornography had recently increased significantly. According to police crime statistics, the number of crimes in 2021 has almost doubled compared to the previous year. “The spread of child pornography is frightening,” said Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU). “As a result of our significantly intensified investigations, more and more cases are coming to light.” In 2021, more than 3200 procedures were recorded at the ZKI. In addition to consistent criminal prosecution, the authorities also want to focus on prevention.