Germany’s federal criminal police office, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), marked its 75th anniversary this week as Chancellor Friedrich Merz highlighted the agency’s crucial role in national security and signaled potential new powers for investigators.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz attributed the expansion of the BKA in recent years, in part, to past migration policies. He described the significant investment in personnel and funding as both a response to external threats and “an attempt to repair political decisions made internally, namely that we allowed uncontrolled irregular migration for too long,” during a ceremony at the BKA headquarters in Wiesbaden on March 13, 2026.
The BKA now has approximately 8,000 positions authorized, and a budget of nearly 1.3 billion euros, compared to around 5,500 positions and a 400 million euro budget 15 years ago.
Merz, as well the leader of the CDU party, called the BKA’s 75 years a success story, emphasizing its role as a cornerstone of security in the Federal Republic of Germany at the event held in Wiesbaden’s historic Kurhaus.
He also underscored the importance of artificial intelligence-assisted data analysis and the matching of biometric data – such as photos – with publicly available information from the internet for investigators. The current coalition government intends to grant the BKA and the Federal Police new powers in the digital realm, with three draft proposals already submitted by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice.
Germany Faces Daily Hybrid Warfare Attempts
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who oversees the BKA, thanked every employee of the security agency in Wiesbaden. He stressed that active defenses are being created against cyberattacks, even those originating outside of Europe, and affirmed Germany’s ability to retaliate. “Germany is not at war, but is the daily target of hybrid warfare,” Dobrindt added.
Merz stated there was no current intelligence suggesting an increased threat to people in Germany following the military strike against Iran. “Nevertheless, we are increasing security concepts, reviewing protective measures, and increasing our presence,” he said, particularly at Israeli, Jewish, and American institutions, “whose protection is particularly recommended to us.”
The BKA, with additional locations in Berlin and Meckenheim near Bonn, supports the police forces of the German states. In certain cases of international or serious crime, it investigates independently. Its responsibilities include international arms, drug, and counterfeit money trafficking, terrorism, and severe cases of computer sabotage. The agency was founded on the basis of the BKA Act, signed into law by then-Federal President Theodor Heuss on March 8, 1951.
dpa/jra
