After 30 years, the government wants to reform a law to make the federal police’s work more modern and transparent. The draft law does not go far enough for the opposition.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to better equip the federal police for modern dangers with new powers. “We want to use technical progress to combat crime even more effectively,” said the SPD politician in the Bundestag on Thursday. “The sources of danger have become more and more diverse in recent decades.” Criminals today would use the entire range of digital options to coordinate online and prepare their actions. “The security authorities must not be positioned worse than their criminal counterparts.”
On Thursday, Parliament discussed the draft restructuring of the Federal Police Act in its first reading. The current version of the law dates from 1994. The reform provides federal police officers with new powers to monitor telecommunications and the use of drones. This is intended to make it easier to find smugglers or extremists.
The fact that the expansion of police powers is sometimes viewed critically by society is self-evident in a democratic constitutional state, said Faeser. However, she assures us that the law contributes to greater transparency and proximity to citizens. A consistent security check is intended to ensure “that only men and women who are loyal to the constitution enter the police service”. People who are questioned by the federal police at airports, train stations or on trains should in future be able to have so-called control receipts issued. The reform also includes an obligation to identify police officers.
Criticism from the Union and the police union
The Union wants to reject the draft. The CSU MP Andrea Lindholz criticized that the technology and powers were not up to date. The rules for civil servants would have to be expanded, for example through the use of biometric facial recognition in crime hotspots such as train stations and airports. Philipp Amthor (CDU) announced that the Federal Council wanted to “take a very close look at what we would let you get away with and what we wouldn’t.” One will not take part in a “label scam”.
The police union (GdP) viewed the draft law as a “long overdue but too short step towards better protection of German borders against illegal immigration and an improved fight against crime and terrorism at train stations and airports within the country.” The union is still hoping that the plans will be adopted promptly. A draft law introduced by the then grand coalition in the last legislative period failed in the Federal Council. “This tragedy must not be repeated if we want to have an effective federal police force,” warned GdP chairman Jochen Kopelke.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
