In Nauen im Havelland, the police were able to arrest a criminal who escaped from preventive detention two weeks ago on Tuesday afternoon. For days, the police have been focusing their searches on the area around Nauen in Brandenburg, where the man used to live. A crucial tip came from the population, so that the police discovered the man on a raised hide in a field north of the city center. He could be arrested without resistance, was weakened, as the police said.
Brandenburg’s Justice Minister Susanne Hoffmann was relieved after the arrest. Nevertheless, the case in the legal committee of the state parliament will have an aftermath. The parliamentary group leader of the BVB/Freie Wahler, Péter Vida, said: “The fear in the population, especially among the witnesses of the earlier crimes, is now over.” Nevertheless, the enlightenment must be continued. The parliamentary group requested that the circumstances of the escape be dealt with in the legal committee.
The mayor of Nauen, Manuel Meger, told the “Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung” that people in Nauen and the surrounding area were unsettled. Now everyday life can return. The small town of Nauen lies on the edge of Berlin’s commuter belt.
The police department west announced on Tuesday afternoon that increased search pressure and a targeted operation after a citizen’s tip led to the arrest. Target investigators, sniffer dogs, drones and a helicopter were previously involved in the search operations.
The man was taken to the Brandenburg an der Havel prison. Further interviews should now provide information about what he did during his escape and who he might have contacted, as a police spokesman said.
On Wednesday, February 15, the 64-year-old, who had been sentenced to a long prison term for manslaughter and sex crimes, fled. He was given permission to go to Berlin, accompanied by two law enforcement officers. In the Europa Center near the busy Kurfürstendamm, they let him out of sight for a short time, according to the Ministry of Justice. The man has been in preventive detention in Brandenburg an der Havel since 2017.
The purpose of preventive detention is to protect the population from particularly dangerous offenders who have already served their sentence. The prerequisite for the order is that psychiatric experts continue to classify the perpetrator as dangerous. But they are entitled to an exit.
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