'Wish you were here,' police tell criminals

The EU-wide policing agency Europol is hoping to track down some of the continent's most wanted criminals with the help of a bold summer campaign imploring villains to return home.

The "friendly" postcard messages are mainly aimed at provoking a feeling of homesickness in individuals who have committed serious crimes in some 21 countries.

Each postcard features one country's most-sought fugitive thought to be hiding in another country. Each appeals to that individual by their first name followed by a "wish you were here" message.

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"Dear Artur, Belgian fries are the best and we know you miss them," says the postcard from police in Belgium. "Come back to enjoy them - we'll have a nice surprise in store for you."

Hardest to catch

Full information about each real-life miscreant, including a picture of them, is featured on the Europe's Most Wanted Fugitives website.

"If you click on the website you can see the real picture and name of the criminal as well as a form that goes directly to the team in the country, for instance Belgium or Italy, that would follow it up," Europol spokesman Jan Op Gen Oorth told DW.

"The main goal of Europol is to arrest as many EU fugitives as possible. These are the ones that are hardest to catch, and there's a real need to catch them."

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Since the Hague-based policing organization launched the Europe's Most Wanted Fugitives website early in 2016, more than 2.5 million unique visitors have been to the website.