The Central Police Directorate of Lower Saxony (ZPD) is getting a fresh face at the helm. Roger Fladung, formerly the Vice President of the Braunschweig Police Directorate, will take charge, as announced by the Ministry of the Interior in Hanover. Initially, Fladung will be on loan to the ZPD.
Fladung's predecessor found himself in hot water with the Ministry of the Interior in August, leading to his reassignment to the police academy. He challenged this move in court, but the Hanover Administrative Court later ruled that this secondment was unlawful. The background to this case involved an investigation into allegations of misconduct in the management duties of the former ZPD head.
Together with the State Police Headquarters, regional police directorates, the State Criminal Police Office, and the Police Academy, the ZPD forms the backbone of the Lower Saxony Police. With over 2000 employees, the headquarters are situated in Hanover, with other locations dotting the state.
Interestingly, Fladung's new role as ZPD head is based in Hanover, the city that also houses the Ministry of the Interior. It's a familiar territory, as the Braunschweig Police Directorate, where Fladung previously served, is another regional directorate under the Lower Saxony Police banner. The Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for policing matters, was also the same body that had previously launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct against a former ZPD head.
While the specific reasons for the leadership shift in the ZPD and the former head's reassignment to the police academy have not been elaborated upon, it is clear that these changes are happening within the broader context of the German law enforcement system, potentially influenced by political and administrative shifts.
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