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21st European Police Congress
06-07 February 2018, bcc Berliner Congress Center
The European Police Congress celebrates its 20th anniversary
This year the European Police Congress starts with a round birthday. On the 21st and 22nd February 2017 the Congress occurs for the 20th time in the Berlin Congress Center (bcc) at the Alexanderplatz. This year– not least caused by the stream of refugees and the latent threat of terrorism- the motto was “Europe – boundless? liberty, mobility, security”.
This leading theme was followed by high-ranking representatives of security agencies who debate among other things about further developments in the European security sector. As speakers we welcomed inter alia Dr. Thomas de Maizière (CDU) as well as the EU-Commissar Dimitris Avramopoulos, how opened the congress days officially, the Federal Minister for the Interior of the Republic of Austria, Mag Wolfgang Sobotka, the Executive Director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX), Fabrice Leggeri, and the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Dr. Hans-Georg Maaßen.
About European answers to Cyber attacks talked the president President of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), Arne Schönbohm. International expertise brought among others Prof. Dr. Peter Neumann, Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization at the King’s College London, the Director of the Federal Office of Police (fedpol), Nicoletta della Valle, and the President of the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (EUROJUST), Michèle Coninsx.
Next to questions about border security and a panel of the ministers of the Interior the topic Community Policing has been lighted. In this panel discussion the presidents of police departments in Berlin, Cologne and Munich, Klaus Kandt, Jürgen Mathies and Hubertus Andrä participated. The debate was moderated by the Chairman of the Committee on Internal Affairs, Ansgar Heveling. Belong to this, about the international experiences reported the Deputy State Commissioner of the Vienna State Police, General Karl Mahrer, and Chief Constable of the Amsterdam-Amstelland Police, Pieter-Jaap Aalsberg.
Speakers 2017 were among others:
In addition to this high-profile main program, several specialist forums were also held on to a wide range of different topics. Thereby, for example the Head of the European Cybercrime Centre of the European Police Office (EUROPOL), Steven Wilson, expressed about developments concerning Criminology 2.0. The problematic of violence against law enforcement officers was devoted by the Deputy Chairman of the Union of the Police (GdP), Dietmar Schilff. Knut Lindenau, Director of the Lower Saxony Police Department, spoke about challenges posed by international police missions. Other topics included for example were foresighted police work, digital investigations and forensics as well as the equipment of police officers.
