Law enforcement and immigration agencies encounter challenges sharing information
In the wake of the devastating attack on a Berlin Christmas market in 2016, Germany has taken steps to enhance inter-agency coordination for counterterrorism and managing foreign offenders. However, significant challenges remain, as revealed in a recent report.
The report, which has been public knowledge since the 2016 attack, highlights major shortcomings in the exchange of information between police and immigration authorities. One of the key issues is that immediate notification to other authorities is not routine when a foreigner is classified as a repeat or intensive offender by the police. This lack of immediate communication often results in missed deadlines for deportations, making them "unfeasible."
Another issue is the discrepancy in personal details registered by various authorities. Suspects are often registered with different personal details, leading to different case numbers being reported to immigration authorities. This requires "significant additional effort" for correct allocation.
The report also points out that the initiation or outcome of criminal proceedings is not automatically reported to immigration authorities. This oversight has been a persistent issue, contributing to the challenges faced by German authorities in managing foreign intensive offenders.
To address these issues, the report makes several recommendations for improved cooperation between authorities. These recommendations include enhanced intelligence sharing, the establishment or strengthening of joint counterterrorism centres, and improved risk assessment protocols. The implementation of these recommendations will be reviewed for the first time by spring 2022.
The attack on the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin in 2016 is a well-known incident related to the challenges faced by German authorities with foreign intensive offenders. Since then, Germany has undertaken several reforms to improve inter-agency coordination, including improved intelligence sharing between the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), customs, and state-level police.
While many of these cooperation frameworks have been institutionalized, challenges remain around privacy laws, jurisdictional boundaries, and resource allocation. For a detailed and specific account, scholarly reports, government white papers, and parliamentary inquiry results from Germany between 2016 and 2022 would be the best sources. Since the current search result doesn’t include this material, I recommend consulting official German government publications or specialized security research reports for exact improvement measures and their evaluation status as of 2022.
[Image: Breitscheidplatz after the attack on the Christmas market, as reported by dts Nachrichtenagentur]
The report, released following the 2016 attack on a Berlin Christmas market, highlights problems in the exchange of information between German police and immigration authorities, particularly regarding the failure to immediately inform other authorities about foreign offenders classified as repeat or intensive offenders. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that discrepancies in personal details registered by different authorities and the infrequent reporting of criminal proceedings outcomes to immigration authorities are significant issues hindering Germany's management of foreign intensive offenders.
