Landeskriminalamt
Encyclopedia
Landeskriminalamt - is the German term for a State Investigation Bureau
in Germany
. LKAs are part of the state police
which, in turn, is directly subordinate to the respective state ministry of the interior.
or extremist and terrorist offences.
intelligence from home and abroad and transmitting it to police stations. It collates data on criminal offences and offenders in crime statistics that are used as a basis for new strategies, policy decisions and legislative initiatives. It also analyzes certain offense areas, evaluates the police measures executed in each case, forecasts expected tendencies and describes events in annual reports.
, the negotiation group or bomb disposal experts. It is also the central office for physical security technology and crime prevention, and coordinates state anti-drug programs.
State bureau of investigation
A State Bureau of Investigation is a state-level detective agency in the United States. They are plainclothes agencies which usually investigate both criminal and civil cases involving the state and/or multiple jurisdictions...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. LKAs are part of the state police
Landespolizei
thumb|[[Germany|German]] police officer in [[Hamburg]]The Landespolizei are the main police forces of Germany. They are under the sole jurisdiction, funded and operated by the states of Germany.-History:...
which, in turn, is directly subordinate to the respective state ministry of the interior.
Investigations
LKAs supervise police operations aimed at preventing and investigating criminal offences, and coordinate investigations of serious crime involving more than one Präsidium (regional headquarters). They can take over investigative responsibility in cases of serious crime, e.g. drug trafficking, organized crime, environmental and white-collar crimeWhite-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
or extremist and terrorist offences.
Crime analysis
Each Landeskriminalamt is also a modern central office for information, analyzing policePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
intelligence from home and abroad and transmitting it to police stations. It collates data on criminal offences and offenders in crime statistics that are used as a basis for new strategies, policy decisions and legislative initiatives. It also analyzes certain offense areas, evaluates the police measures executed in each case, forecasts expected tendencies and describes events in annual reports.
Forensics
The LKA maintains forensic equipment for central examination of evidence using the latest scientific methods (e.g. DNA analysis, Automatic Fingerprint Identification System).Special missions
LKAs also coordinate support for local police in hostage, kidnapping and blackmail situations and provide experts in such cases, e.g., the SWAT team SpezialeinsatzkommandoSpezialeinsatzkommando
Spezialeinsatzkommandos are the special response units of the German state police forces. German SEKs are full-time units whose members do not perform any other duties, and are essentially the equivalent of American SWAT Teams...
, the negotiation group or bomb disposal experts. It is also the central office for physical security technology and crime prevention, and coordinates state anti-drug programs.
North-Rhine Westphalia
For example, the LKA in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) has six operational departments:- Department 1 conducts investigations and analysis of organised crime.
- Department 2 is responsible for state security and investigations of political extremism.
- Department 3 deals with the analysis and evaluation of crime and works on crime prevention and crime control projects.
- Department 4 provides operational support. It coordinates the missions, training and equipment for highly specialised operational unitsSpezialeinsatzkommandoSpezialeinsatzkommandos are the special response units of the German state police forces. German SEKs are full-time units whose members do not perform any other duties, and are essentially the equivalent of American SWAT Teams...
, it gives advice to the police commanders at major incidents and provides support to international law enforcement agencies. The department hosts the Central Information Service for Sport Events and the NRW Police Aviation Group. - Department 5 is the NRW Forensic Institute. It performs all forensic tests needed for prosecution. About 200 scientists and experts perform roughly 25,000 tests per year.
- Department 6 has special technical support units that assist other law enforcement agencies with technical or special know-how. This may occur if investigations become difficult e.g. scenes of fire, accidents (explosives, explosive devices) or computer searches etc. The department also has a surveillance team and a target search unit.
External links
- Baden-Württemberg Landeskriminalamt
- Bavarian Landeskriminalamt
- Berlin Landeskriminalamt
- Bremen Landeskriminalamt
- Hamburg Landeskriminalamt
- Hessen Landeskriminalamt
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landeskriminalamt
- Lower Saxony Landeskriminalamt
- North Rhine-Westphalia Landeskriminalamt
- Rheinland-Pfalz Landeskriminalamt
- Saxony Landeskriminalamt
- Saxony-Anhalt Landeskriminalamt
- Schleswig-Holstein Landeskriminalamt
- Thuringia Landeskriminalamt