The criminal police are likewise responsible for the prevention and detection of crime. Whereas the general police forces are mainly concerned with cases of petty crime, the criminal police focus on dangerous crimes and criminal offenses. These especially include culpable homicide, serious property offenses and,increasingly, organized crime. In the prosecution of crime, the police assist the public prosecutor’s office in charge of the given proceedings.

The criminal police have special units - in some cases jointly with the general forces - to combat terrorism and hostage-taking as well as for protective measures at special events and for observation and searches. The alert forces of the federal states, which are deployed as whole units, were instituted pursuant to an administrative agreement between the Federation and the states in order to be available in case of disaster, in a state of tension or in a state of defense. The alert forces are also responsible for the training of new recruits and provide support for individual police forces during demonstrations, sporting events and other major events, traffic surveillance, police raids and large-scale search operations. They are also deployed to combat organized crime. The alert forces of the Federal Republic presently number about 32,500 men and women. The river police control all waterway traffic and monitor in particular the transport of dangerous goods.