Reform: police law and rules for surveillance
The police in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will still be able to use electronic means to combat crime in the future. However, measures such as surveillance, spying on and bugging homes, online searches and the monitoring of telecommunications via cell phones are subject to stricter regulations than before. The state parliament in Schwerin passed a new version of the state police law on Wednesday with the votes of the SPD, Left Party and AfD. The CDU and FDP abstained. The Greens voted against because they believe that the powers of the security authorities in the state go too far even after the reform and that essential fundamental rights are at risk.
The amendment to the law had become necessary following a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. In the opinion of the constitutional judges, the state's Security and Public Order Act, which was only reformed in 2020, had granted the police powers that encroached too easily on people's privacy. According to the Karlsruhe ruling, a concrete or even urgent danger is generally required for far-reaching surveillance measures.
According to Interior Minister Christian Pegel (SPD), the measures that were deemed unlawful were adjusted in accordance with the law. The police could not do without modern investigation methods. Crimes are no longer agreed from person to person or in the traditional way by telephone, the perpetrators use the new media "extremely well", said the Minister. The police must be able to counter this.
The state parliament’s amendment to the police law in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also includes regulations for internal security matters. It ensures that the use of surveillance and other internal security measures by the police adheres to stricter guidelines, as outlined in the revised state police law that was passed with the support of the SPD, Left Party, and AfD.
Source: www.dpa.com
