Capture22 photo competition: celebrating hard work and dedication

The winners of Europol’s annual photo competition, Capture22, were announced today.

Each year, Europol celebrates the hard work and dedication of the various law enforcement authorities across the EU, and this year we asked talented amateur photographers to submit photos that illustrate the many ways that police forces protect EU citizens on a daily basis.
 

The 2022 competition comprised the following three categories:

• Making Europe safer;
• Caring for the community;
• On the road.

In the ‘Making Europe safer’ category, photographer Pedro Manuel Reis Valongo of the Polícia de Segurança Pública submitted the winning photo of a Portuguese police officer on patrol in a railway station. The officer stands on the platform as the trains pass by, demonstrating the steadfast presence of police in Europe’s public spaces as citizens go about their daily lives.

In the ‘Caring for the community’ category, the Guardia Civil’s Ricardo Rueda Fernandez’s winning photo of a Spanish police officer helping a Moroccan citizen safely to shore is poignant and powerful. This police officer’s diving gear shows the versatility and variety of police work, both on shore and at sea.

Finally, the ‘On the road’ category was won by photographer Florin Jugravu of the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police for the image of a police officer on duty in Bucharest traffic. This image perfectly encapsulates the frenetic nature of modern life in Europe and the reliability of the police on Europe’s roads and streets.

These winning photographs will be on display at Europol headquarters in The Hague.

Follow Europol on Instagram to see these winning photographs plus a selection of the best entries.