Joint interception center to go into operation in 2027

After a long delay, the cross-state police eavesdropping center is set to go into operation next year. This is according to an answer from the Saxon Ministry of the Interior to a minor question from Left Party politician Rico Gebhardt. From 2027, the "successive operation of the individual supporting states" will take place, it said. Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia are involved in the center based in Leipzig.

IT problem and staff shortage delay operations

Originally, the "Joint Competence and Service Center (GKDZ)" - as it is officially called - was supposed to be operational in 2024. However, IT problems and a shortage of specialists delayed operations. Just under a year ago, the Saxon Ministry of the Interior admitted difficulties with the programming of the TKÜ system and staffing problems at the company commissioned with the project. TKÜ stands for telecommunications surveillance.

Contractual partner must pay compensation

The delay is costing the contracted company dearly. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the contractual partner will pay the GKDZ compensation and indemnification payments until the center goes into operation. By the beginning of January, the center had already received around 5.7 million euros. The payments - particularly for personnel costs - will be transferred on a monthly basis until the start of "active operations", it said. The number of employees at the end of December was 28. In the end, there should be around 40.

Is the technology already outdated when it goes into operation?

"Of course, the savings are only temporary and have come at a high price due to the long wait for the center to open. I see the danger that the storage and server technology installed a few years ago will no longer be up to date," speculated Gebhardt, a politician from the Left Party.

The interception center, which is to provide services for the police forces of the five federal states in the fight against serious crime, was already launched in 2017 by a state treaty. The police may only use telecommunications surveillance to investigate serious crimes - such as murder or suspected terrorism. For this purpose, landlines or cell phones, but also communication via messengers such as Whatsapp, can be tapped.