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Bundeskriminalamt: Germany's Central Crime-Fighting Agency

NCJ Number
185161
Date Published
1999
Length
40 pages
Annotation
Statistics on crime in the Federal Republic of Germany indicate that the total number of offenses rose from 2,034,239 in 1960 to 6,456,996 in 1998; the organization and functions of the German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) in responding to crime are discussed.
Abstract
The 6,456,996 offenses in 1998 involved 2,319,895 suspects, and 52.3 percent of the criminal cases were cleared. As of November 1997, Germany had 236,786 police at the State level and 35,502 police at the Federal level. The police-population ratio was 1:300. The organization of the German police is described and illustrated, with emphasis on cooperation between State and Federal police offices, the history of the BKA, personnel assigned to the BKA which increased from 500 in 1955 to 4,500 in 2000 and personnel characteristics, budget, and specific BKA divisions and units. Functions of the BKA are reviewed that pertain to international cooperation, law enforcement, crime prevention, and administrative functions. 22 figures