Cologne sex assaults: most attackers will not be caught, admits police chief

Most of those behind the rash of sex attacks in Cologne on New Year’s Eve may never be caught, the city’s police chief has admitted. Speaking to the BBC, Juergen Mathies said CCTV footage was not good enough to identify sex crimes. Officers have managed to identify some 75 people, most of them from North Africa, who entered Germany illegally. The first three men face trial today on theft charges.

The CCTV footage is not good enough to clearly identify sexual assaults. We can see some thefts but that’s all. We are relying on witness accounts and victims identifying their attackers.

Juergen Mathies

The spate of thefts and assaults on women outside Cologne’s main station, blamed largely on foreigners, caused public uproar as Germany deals with a huge influx of migrants. More than 1,000 criminal complaints were filed, over 400 of those alleging crimes of a sexual nature. Neither of the two trials scheduled in Cologne involves allegations of sexual assaults. A 23-year-old Moroccan man is accused of stealing a cellphone from a woman as she photographed the city’s cathedral. In a separate case, a 22-year-old Tunisian and an 18-year-old Moroccan are charged with stealing a camera from a man.

Cologne