Bundeskriminalamtes
Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) is Germany's federal criminal police office, coordinating national and international investigations into terrorism, organized crime, and cybercrime for the German government and citizens.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1951
- HeadquartersWiesbaden, Germany
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Bundeskriminalamtes does
The Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) is Germany's federal criminal police office, headquartered in Wiesbaden and established in March 1951 as the successor to the Criminal Police Office for the British Zone. Operating under the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community and governed by the Bundeskriminalamtgesetz (BKAG), it functions as the central hub of German policing and the national contact point for Europol and Interpol, coordinating investigations of terrorism, organized crime, cybercrime, and other serious crimes with national or international significance. BKA also provides personal protection services for constitutional body members and witness protection in its own cases.
Its service portfolio is non-commercial and comprises three interlocking layers: (i) public-facing services for German citizens — the Fahndungen wanted-persons search, the Hinweisportal tip-off portal, the Onlinewache online reporting portal, and the Feststellungsbescheide firearm classification decisions; (ii) inter-agency coordination platforms — GTAZ (counter-terrorism), GETZ (extremism and terrorism defence), NCAZ (cyber defence), GIZ (common internet centre), and ZMI (central reporting point for criminal internet content); and (iii) specialized operational and research capabilities — INPOL, AFIS, DAD, and PIAV police information systems, the DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025/17020-accredited Kriminaltechnisches Institut (KT) forensic institute, the Operative Fallanalyse criminal profiling unit, and recurring research outputs including the Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik (PKS) and Bundeslagebilder situation assessments.
BKA's business model is fully public-sector: it does not charge citizens for its core services, generates no commercial revenue, and is funded through annual allocations from the German federal budget. Its go-to-market motion is direct-to-government — to state police forces (Länderpolizeien), federal police, and international law enforcement partners — supplemented by a public information and prevention program (ProPK) for citizens. The agency employs more than 7,000 staff across 70+ professional groups at three locations (Wiesbaden, Berlin, Meckenheim) and operates one of the world's broadest international liaison networks, with BKA officers deployed in roughly two-thirds of all countries and over 100 foreign liaison officers from more than 40 states hosted at BKA or German diplomatic missions.
Bundeskriminalamtes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bundeskriminalamtes
- Legal name
- Bundeskriminalamt
- Website
- https://bka.de
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1951
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) is Germany's federal criminal police office, coordinating national and international investigations into terrorism, organized crime, and cybercrime for the German government and citizens.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bundeskriminalamtes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Federal Law Enforcement
- NAICS
- Police Protection (92212)
- SIC
- Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Investigations & Case Building (BPAKAJAH)
Keywords
Where Bundeskriminalamtes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wiesbaden
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Bundeskriminalamtes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Federal Government Budget Allocation: As a German federal government agency, the BKA is funded through the federal budget. It does not generate commercial revenue. The agency receives annual budget allocations from the German federal government to carry out its law enforcement mandate.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Government services - no fees for citizens |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Bundeskriminalamtes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) is Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, operating as the central federal law enforcement agency. It investigates serious and organized crime, terrorism, cybercrime, and international crime; coordinates police cooperation between federal and state authorities; maintains national police information systems (AFIS, INPOL, DNA database, PIAV); provides forensic and criminal-technical services; and delivers public-facing services such as wanted-persons search, crime statistics, and tip-off portals.
Product overview
Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) is Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, functioning as an internationally active central hub for German police. Rather than a commercial product company, BKA provides law enforcement services and public safety resources including crime statistics, wanted persons searches, forensic analysis, and inter-agency coordination. Its portfolio includes public-facing services such as the Fahndungen (wanted persons search) portal, Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik (police crime statistics) and Bundeslagebilder (federal situation reports); operational databases like INPOL, AFIS, DAD, and PIAV; specialized units including the Kriminaltechnisches Institut (forensic science institute), the Mobile Einsatzkommando (MEK), and the Zentrale Meldestelle für strafbare Inhalte im Internet (ZMI); and cooperation centers such as the Gemeinsames Terrorismusabwehrzentrum (GTAZ) and Nationales Cyber-Abwehrzentrum. BKA also maintains educational and prevention programs including Forum KI, the BKA-Herbsttagung, Cybercrime Conference C3, and the Polizeiliche Kriminalprävention (ProPK) program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fahndungen (Wanted Persons and Items Search)
Quantifiable outcome
- Operation Endgame success: Three dangerous malware variants taken offline (June 2026)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Bundeskriminalamtes
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bundeskriminalamtes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Bundeskriminalamtes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre (Gemeinsames Terrorismusabwehrzentrum - GTAZ)coreGTAZ is a joint centre established in December 2004 at the BKA location in Berlin, where information on international terrorism is compiled and analyzed by various agencies including police and intelligence services of the federal and state governments.
- Joint Extremism and Terrorism Defence Centre (GETZ)coreA joint centre for extremism and terrorism defence coordination among German security agencies.
- National Cyber Defence Centre (Nationales Cyber-Abwehrzentrum - NCAZ)coreJoint centre for cyber defence coordination addressing cybersecurity threats at national level.
- Common Internet Centre (Gemeinsames Internetzentrum - GIZ)coreJoint internet centre for coordinated response to online criminal activities.
- Europol (European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation)coreBKA serves as the central contact point for Europol in Germany. As a national central bureau, BKA coordinates EU-wide law enforcement cooperation, information exchange, and joint operations through Europol.
- Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization - IKPO)coreBKA serves as the National Central Bureau (NCB) for Interpol in Germany, coordinating international police cooperation with Interpol member countries worldwide for criminal investigation support and notices.
- Schengen Information System (SIS)coreBKA serves as the central office for the Schengen Information System in Germany, managing alerts for persons and objects across Schengen area border controls.
- Central Reporting Point for Criminal Content on the Internet (ZMI)coreZMI is a centralized hub for receiving and processing reports of criminal content on the internet, coordinating between civil society reporting platforms and law enforcement authorities.
- Police Forces of the Federal States (Länderpolizeien)coreBKA coordinates with state police forces across Germany for crime prevention and criminal investigation, sharing information and providing specialized support for cross-regional and international cases.
- Federal Police (Bundespolizei)majorCooperation partner in joint terrorism and crime prevention centres including GTAZ.
- International Liaison Officers NetworkcoreBKA maintains liaison officers in approximately two-thirds of all countries worldwide. Additionally, over 100 liaison officers from more than 40 states have offices at BKA or at diplomatic missions in Germany, enabling extensive international cooperation.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bundeskriminalamtes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire (DCPJ) - France: Central directorate of the French National Police responsible for judicial police, organized crime, counter-terrorism, and forensics. Closest French functional equivalent to BKA's investigative mandate.
- Bundeskriminalamt (Austria): Austrian federal criminal police office operating under the Federal Ministry of the Interior with mandates in counter-terrorism, organized crime, and cybercrime. Direct structural and functional peer to BKA.
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): Canada's federal police service handling national security, organized crime, cybercrime, and forensics, with international liaison capacity. Comparable to BKA in scope and federal coordination role.
- UK National Crime Agency (NCA): British federal-level agency leading the fight against serious and organized crime, cybercrime, and border-related criminality. Directly comparable to BKA in mandate, international cooperation posture, and analytic/forensic function.
- Australian Federal Police (AFP): Australia's federal law enforcement agency with responsibility for counter-terrorism, transnational organized crime, and cybercrime, plus international liaison via AFP posts worldwide. Strong functional analogue to BKA.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): U.S. federal criminal investigation and domestic intelligence agency. Closest direct counterpart to BKA in scope: federal jurisdiction, counter-terrorism, cybercrime, organized crime, forensic services, and international liaison through legal attachés.
- Polizia di Stato (Italian State Police): Italy's national civilian police force covering criminal investigation, cybercrime, counter-terrorism, and forensic services through specialist divisions. Direct European peer to BKA.
Broad incumbents
- Europol: EU agency for law enforcement cooperation that BKA interfaces with as Germany's national contact point. Comparable analytical and coordination capability but at EU-wide scope rather than single-country focus.
- Interpol: International organization facilitating cross-border police cooperation, for which BKA serves as Germany's National Central Bureau. Operates at global coordination level rather than national enforcement level.
Regional players
- Bundespolizei (Germany): Germany's federal police focused on border protection, railway and aviation security, and federal-property policing. Not a direct criminal-investigation peer but operates alongside BKA in joint counter-terrorism and crime prevention structures.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bundeskriminalamtes social profiles
Digital presenceBundeskriminalamtes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bundeskriminalamtes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bundeskriminalamtes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bundeskriminalamtes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bundeskriminalamtes
What does Bundeskriminalamtes do?
The Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) is Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office, operating as the central federal law enforcement agency. It investigates serious and organized crime, terrorism, cybercrime, and international crime; coordinates police cooperation between federal and state authorities; maintains national police information systems (AFIS, INPOL, DNA database, PIAV); provides forensic and criminal-technical services; and delivers public-facing services such as wanted-persons search, crime statistics, and tip-off portals.
Is Bundeskriminalamtes a public or private company?
Bundeskriminalamtes is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Bundeskriminalamtes founded?
Bundeskriminalamtes was founded in 1951. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Bundeskriminalamtes based?
Bundeskriminalamtes is headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Bundeskriminalamtes make money?
One revenue line is on record: federal Government Budget Allocation.
Who are Bundeskriminalamtes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire (DCPJ) - France, Bundeskriminalamt (Austria), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), UK National Crime Agency (NCA), Australian Federal Police (AFP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Polizia di Stato (Italian State Police). Broad incumbents are Europol and Interpol. Bundespolizei (Germany) is listed as a regional player.
Does Bundeskriminalamtes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bundeskriminalamtes.
What industry is Bundeskriminalamtes in?
Bundeskriminalamtes's product category is Federal Law Enforcement. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKAJAH, Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Investigations & Case Building. Its NAICS code is 92212 and its SIC code is 7381.