There was a breakdown in the vote in July, and now the Chancellor has a majority in the Bundestag: the federal police are to be given new powers. And this time the Federal Council also agrees.
Berlin. It took more than five years and occupied three federal governments, but now the time has come: the Bundestag and Bundesrat have each passed, with the necessary majority, a comprehensive reform of the law that regulates the tasks and powers of the federal police.
It provides the Federal Police with additional options for combating extremism and smuggling and for applying for detention pending deportation for foreigners who are legally obliged to leave the country. The most important innovations at a glance.
In future, the Federal Police will be able to use automatic real-time facial recognition at train stations and other locations within their area of responsibility in particularly dangerous situations. In the discussion about this new power, the search for an abducted child was mentioned as a possible use case.
In order to combat extremism and smuggling, it should also be given powers to monitor telecommunications. This primarily involves cell phone tracking and monitoring messenger communications.
The Federal Police should be able to apply for deportation detention and exit custody for foreigners who are legally obliged to leave the country if they encounter these people in their area of responsibility, especially at train stations and airports. This is to prevent submersion.
In the future, “random and random checks” in gun and knife ban zones at train stations or on trains will also be permitted.
Using video technology and AI, the federal police should be able to recognize certain movement patterns that indicate the commission of a crime, such as when someone swings their fist, pulls out a knife or when a helpless person falls on the track bed.
Baden-Württemberg's Interior Minister Manuel Hagel (CDU) emphasized in the Federal Council that the federal police could now use their own drones for surveillance and defense. He also used the debate to send the message that security and stability in Germany come from the political center.
The current federal police law largely dates back to 1994, which is why the Greens have recently emphasized several times that a reform is fundamentally necessary. During the parliamentary procedure, there were still significant changes to the draft that the cabinet had approved. For crimes committed where the federal police are responsible, they may take over further prosecution even if the state police would actually be responsible - provided the responsible state authority wants this.
In July 2021, a reform of the Federal Police Act planned by the then government under Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) failed in the Bundesrat. A corresponding project by the traffic light coalition was also not completed.
Then there was another breakdown this summer, which, however, did not lead to a delay because the Federal Council had not scheduled a meeting in midsummer anyway. The vote in the Bundestag was repeated on Friday morning because a glitch was noticed in July.
At that time, only the majority of the MPs present agreed in the third reading - this is the rule with simple laws. However, this law requires approval by a majority of all members of the Bundestag, the so-called Chancellor's majority of 316 members. “The final vote must therefore be repeated,” said Parliament President Julia Klöckner at the opening of the session.
This time, according to her, the Union and SPD had requested a roll-call vote. 322 MPs voted for the law, meaning the necessary Chancellor majority was achieved, as Klöckner announced. 134 MPs voted no and 118 abstained.
