New leadership: Two top positions in state police permanently filled

The state police force in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has filled two crucial leadership roles permanently. Heiko Tesch is the new president of the Neubrandenburg Police Presidium, marking the second president appointed to this position within approximately a year. Concurrently, Arne Wurzler will take on the permanent leadership of the State Office for Central Tasks and Technology of the Police, Fire and Disaster Protection (LPBK), a role he has been fulfilling in an interim capacity for several months.

Wurzler's permanent appointment comes after a period of scrutiny for the LPBK, which was affected by an affair concerning accelerated promotions and investigations into suspected embezzlement. Searches were conducted at the LPBK and the Interior Ministry as part of these investigations last year.

According to the Interior Ministry, these appointments solidify leadership in significant areas of the state police. Tesch previously served as the head of the department for crime control, international police cooperation, and prevention within the Interior Ministry. The LPBK is a high-level authority responsible for crucial functions such as IT and communication systems, digitalization of the state police, and procurement of operational equipment, including weapons and ammunition.

The LPBK's responsibilities also encompass managing the aftermath of significant technical failures, such as the outage of thousands of police smartphones following a hacker attack last year. The Interior Ministry had previously indicated that replacement devices were expected in the summer.