Peter Mosch completed his training as a criminal investigation officer from 1991 to 1994 and has held a total of eight senior management positions since 2003.
Mr. Mosch, congratulations on your new position! What are the duties of a State Director of Criminal Investigation?
Thank you very much for your congratulations. The tasks are quite varied! In a nutshell, it's about evaluating, advising and making decisions in all criminal matters. I exercise the highest level of technical supervision over the 47 district police authorities and the NRW State Office of Criminal Investigation in criminal matters. This means that we receive reports on outstanding investigations and evaluate them from a media and political perspective in addition to technical aspects.
In the Ministry of the Interior, we also decide on the strategic goals of the criminal investigation department; we issue decrees and set standards for the criminal investigation department in the state.
I also see it as my responsibility to ensure that the criminal investigation department has the best possible personnel and expertise. And leadership is crucial when it comes to the quality of criminal investigation work and employee satisfaction! Of course, this also applies to my team in Group 42, where I myself am in demand as a manager.
As we all know, the conditions in the criminal investigation department need to be improved. How will things continue with the state working group (LAG) "Initiative PRO K"?
I represented my predecessor Johannes Hermanns, who is now Chief of Police in Cologne, for three and a half years. That is why we developed many of the objectives of the LAG "Initiative PRO K" together.
I am certain that I will continue to pursue the objectives of the initiative. Great work has been done in recent years. We now have a clearer view of the challenges, the framework conditions and the mood. What counts for me is that we make the criminal investigation department - within the structure of the entire NRW police force - fit for the future and thus achieve good work results.
We hear that something will soon change in police training! Can you tell us what is planned here?
I think this is something we really need to talk about. Because we are facing one of the biggest changes in police training in recent decades. Many people won't remember, but when I was training to become a detective, we were specifically prepared for work as an investigator.
The relevant committees of the HSPV NRW have now decided to give students the opportunity to choose between the specializations "Operations" and "Investigations". The LAFP NRW and the recruitment and training authorities are also involved. I would particularly like to thank Hanna Ossowski, the head of Group 40 at the Ministry, who is leading the working group on the "K deployment offensive", and the entire team of the working group. What we have been campaigning for over the last few years is now being implemented.
What does this mean in concrete terms for young career starters?
Work in the criminal investigation department requires a high level of expertise and specialization, so it is good that this content will be given more space in future for some students during their studies. I hope that the young colleagues will be well prepared, have a good feeling and, above all, be able to conduct their first investigations successfully. Qualifications lead to successful investigations and successful investigations lead to job satisfaction. Criminal investigation work must be successful, but it should also be fun.
What happens for the prospective investigators after graduation?
We will of course offer the young people who have completed the "Investigations" specialization a perspective in the criminal investigation department. That will be the case after a year on guard duty. And what I think is particularly good is that we will give those who opt for the "Investigations" specialization a concrete promise of employment in the criminal investigation department. And for the 2026 recruitment year, we can already use this commitment to advertise on the job market and specifically attract young people to the profession of investigator.
You have to face major challenges for the criminal investigation department in your office. In your opinion, what are the most pressing issues that need to be tackled at the moment alongside the training reform?
Obviously, we need to continue to shape the digital transformation. This involves basic training, because digital skills must be available to all investigators, through to highly specialized further training, for example in the form of our new "Cybercriminology / Digital Forensics" course. At the same time, topics such as the digital file in criminal cases and the development of AI must be driven forward. And IT equipment must also be continuously improved.
One focus of my work will also be to reduce the workload of the criminal investigation department. This can be achieved through technology, leaner processes and coordination with the judiciary, as well as organizational and personnel changes. Key points here are:
framework agreements between district police authorities and public prosecutors' offices and the deployment of criminal assistants to relieve general crime investigators of administrative tasks.
My aim is also to further improve the quality of investigative work. It is particularly important to me that the specialist strategy K is implemented consistently. ED treatments are a crucial point here! I will continue to pursue the goal of solving 60 percent of all cases. Managers are crucial to the quality of criminal police work. They must be well selected, but also supported; they are responsible for the quality of their employees' work and must challenge and encourage them, but also monitor and optimize their work.
Keyword "leadership". Mr. Mosch, to conclude: What message do you have for your managers in the country?
On the one hand, ask yourself whether the quality of the work in your area of responsibility is right, and on the other, whether your employees are the focus for you. I also want to act as part of my team and be perceived as such. I have a daily ritual: every morning I pop into my colleagues' offices. Admittedly not only to have a direct exchange and get a feel for the atmosphere in the departments, but also because that's where the coffee machine is that I use - I don't have my own in my office.