Italian or Nigerian mafia, criminal rocker scene, drug trafficking – the domestic political spokeswoman for the Greens, Katharina Schulze, calls on the state government to take more stringent action against organized crime (OK). This represents “a very serious and yet still often underestimated threat to internal security, including in Bavaria”, but remains mostly invisible to the citizens. Schulze expects the government to “finally take the OK problem seriously and take targeted action against it”. Above all, this included better staffing and equipment for the criminal police and the judiciary. In the IT sector in particular, skilled workers would have to be recruited and trained. In addition, “more functional structures for the exchange of information” are needed at home and abroad.
The reason for Schulze’s demand is a surcharge in terms of content that she undertook with party colleagues. Together with Irene Mihalic, domestic political spokeswoman for the Bundestag faction and police officer, and the Hamburg lawyer Sina Imhoff, she wrote a strategy paper on combating the mafia – with a view to what the states and the federal government should do according to the authors. Schulze also regularly sends inquiries to the government on such topics.
The core requirement of the paper is the “consistent increase in personnel in the criminal police and judiciary”, as well as the establishment of public prosecutor’s offices for the area of OK (that has long since happened in Bavaria). In terms of personnel, lateral entry and incentives for experts from the private sector, especially in the IT sector, should be improved, and the “barriers to entry” into the criminal investigation department should be reduced. Investments are needed in IT equipment, for example in mobile devices. In addition, the state should invest in research – the knowledge about the activities of the OC is “naturally limited”. From the police crime statistics and situation reports, however, one can only see the bright field and a balance sheet of specific investigative procedures; further studies are advisable.
Cocaine abuse in Bavaria is increasing continuously
Last but not least, there is a need for reform in narcotics: “Previous approaches to a drug policy that primarily provides for repressive measures have not led to any significant improvement.” About wastewater analyzes showed the actual consumption behavior in the country. The Greens are calling for a “modern drug policy” that decriminalizes consumers, puts prevention first and puts the focus of law enforcement on the structures behind drug trafficking. Controlled cannabis distribution is part of it, to relieve the security authorities. For example, cocaine abuse, Schulze learned from inquiries, is increasing continuously in Bavaria. In 2019, 615 kilograms were seized in the Free State, and the trend is rising (but this is also likely to be due to persecution pressure). 17 people died of cocaine abuse in 2019, and the number of patients requiring outpatient or inpatient treatment is increasing every year. The cocaine trade in Europe is said to be dominated by the Italian ‘Ndrangheta.
However, the state government’s promotion of the fight against OCs cannot be denied. Crime is considered to be organized if the “planned commission of criminal offenses determined by the pursuit of profit and power” takes place in commercial structures and several criminals participate. Most recently, the Bavarian police and judiciary conducted almost 80 OC proceedings each year. In order to increase their effectiveness, special units were established at the public prosecutor’s offices near the border. First in 2018 in Traunstein, since then the model has been expanded – to Landshut, Kempten, Regensburg, Hof, Memmingen and Amberg. The cooperation across national borders works “effectively”, emphasized Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich and Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (both CSU) in December on the occasion of an OC picture of the situation.
The “Bavarian recipe for success” included specialized units at all police headquarters, a separate department in the LKA and the authority of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to monitor OK; Many other federal states do not allow this.