reform
Traffic light wants to give the federal police more powers
The federal police should be given more powers. The Federal Cabinet has approved a long-controversial reform (symbolic image). photo
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
Rules for the use of drones, identification of officers and “receipts” for identity checks: a reform should change a lot for the federal police – but also for citizens who have to do with them.
The Federal Police should be able to use the new powers in the area of telecommunications, for example when it comes to protecting life and limb. Officials should also be able to identify and locate mobile phone cards and mobile devices such as cell phones in the future if there is a court order. This should help in the fight against smugglers and extremists. It should also help to find people at risk of suicide along railway lines.
There should also be new rules for the use of drones by the federal police and for the defense against drones and other unmanned vehicle systems if they pose a danger. There had been intensive discussions with airport operators, who must provide the federal police with appropriate space.
Struggle for mandatory labeling
There was also a struggle for a labeling requirement for federal police officers. There is now a plan for identification with a sequence of numbers that allows officials to be identified by name, although not for everyone. This should make it easier to investigate possible crimes or breaches of duty by police officers, but without exposing the officers to increased risk in their private lives.
The federal government’s anti-racism commissioner, Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD), among others, had urged that people who are questioned by the federal police be able to have so-called control receipts issued in the future. This receipt should, among other things, note the place, time and reason for the inspection.
In the future, the Federal Police will be able to temporarily prohibit people from staying in certain places if they believe that they will commit crimes of significant importance there. This regulation could, for example, be used to prevent violent football hooligans from traveling. Detention rooms should be allowed to be monitored with images and sound, for example to check whether inmates are hurting themselves.
Security check by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution
All newly hired police officers will in future be subject to a security check by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. This is intended to prevent extremists from infiltrating the federal police.
From the perspective of the police union (GdP), the reform is urgently needed because the current version from 1994 lacked powers to combat terrorism, use artificial intelligence and video technology. The independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination, Ferda Ataman, meanwhile criticized the draft reform as one-sided – it primarily protects the police from discrimination.
The Union parliamentary group’s domestic policy spokesman, Alexander Throm (CDU), however, criticized that police officers should be placed under general suspicion. He referred to the planned control receipts. “When it comes to technical skills, however, the traffic light falls far short of what is necessary.” Throm specifically advocated automatic facial recognition systems.