The Schengen Information System has recently played a key role in locating missing children, rescuing vulnerable individuals and arresting suspects wanted for serious crimes across Europe, the European Commission said on Tuesday.
According to a statement by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, the Schengen Information System, or SIS, is the largest and most widely used information-sharing platform for security and border management in Europe. It serves as a common tool for border guards, police, migration authorities, customs and judicial bodies across Schengen countries and associated states.
A crucial operational role is played by the SIRENE network, through which each participating country, along with Europol, maintains a 24-hour office to exchange supplementary information and coordinate SIS alerts.
Long-running child abduction case resolved
Among the cases cited is a parental abduction that lasted more than a decade. The case began in December 2011 when an Italian father reported his infant child had been abducted by the mother. Following years of cooperation between Italian and Hungarian authorities, and through SIS alerts, Hungarian police located the mother and child in June 2025.
The mother was arrested, while the child was placed under the care of her grandmother with the father’s consent and is now receiving psychological support after years of isolation.
Missing children and persons located
In another case, Portuguese police identified a vehicle with false licence plates between October and November 2025, leading to the rescue of two missing children and later a third linked to the same case. The driver was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and driving a stolen vehicle. Information exchange via SIRENE offices in Portugal and Germany proved critical to the operation.
The Commission also highlighted the search for a Spanish sailor reported missing in April 2024. Following the activation of a SIS alert and coordination between SIRENE offices in Spain, Italy and Greece, a joint sea and air operation was launched under difficult weather conditions. The sailor was eventually rescued by Italian teams off the Italian coast.
Tackling organised crime
Several cases also demonstrate SIS’s role in combating organised crime. In December 2024, a Lithuanian national identified as a key figure in a transnational arms and drug trafficking network was arrested in Spain. The suspect, who used encrypted communications and money laundering schemes, had been under investigation for years by authorities in the Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland and Spain, with support from Europol. He was later extradited to Lithuania under a European arrest warrant.
In July 2025, Czech police arrested a Russian national at Prague airport who had been wanted by German authorities for more than a decade on drug trafficking charges. He was identified through fingerprint data and subsequently extradited to Germany.
In another case, Spanish authorities arrested a Greek-Swiss national wanted since 2014 for money laundering offences against the Greek state. Despite using false identity details, he was located through information exchange between SIRENE offices in Greece and Switzerland and extradited to Greece in June 2025.
A further joint operation by Czech and Austrian police in November 2025 led to the arrest of four individuals wanted for organised crime, armed robbery and other serious offences. One suspect had attempted to evade arrest using a false identity but was identified through biometric data.
The Commission said these cases underline the importance of the SIS and SIRENE network in strengthening cross-border cooperation, supporting the search for missing persons and enhancing the fight against serious crime across Europe.
Source: CNA