Since 2020, Thomas Roosen has headed the LZPD NRW as one of three higher state authorities. Around 1,800 people work "behind the scenes" of the police at the headquarters in Duisburg and at more than ten locations throughout NRW. "Only a third of them are police officers, two thirds are government employees or civil servants. The idea that everyone in the police force wears a uniform doesn't apply to us as a service and technical authority," emphasizes Thomas Roosen. "Our authority is so diverse, with over 40 professions and fantastic tasks in a broad portfolio. I always compare it to the fact that we are the road that paves the way for everyone else so that they can do a good job. That's why the phrase 'No operation without us' is still true." The LZPD NRW will also shape the service in the coming decades and strategic considerations are very important for the direction of the police in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In his farewell speech in Düsseldorf at the end of June, Interior Minister Herbert Reul emphasized that Thomas Roosen was exactly the right man at the right time for the LZPD NRW. It is not yet known who will succeed the outgoing head of the authority. Until an official appointment has been made, Senior Government Director Astrid Ohde will act as deputy head of the LZPD NRW.
Thomas Roosen has progressed through all possible career stages in the NRW police force, from patrol duty to head of authority. Since 2000, his focus has been on information technology. He was project manager of several national projects, between 2012 and 2017 he was an IT expert at the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, then took over the management of the IT department at the LZPD NRW and focused on the fundamental reorganization of the central police IT. From July 2020 until today, he was Director of the LZPD NRW.
The outgoing head of the authority is now looking forward to listening to the news on the traffic radio in the morning without having to find an alternative route from the Lower Rhine to the office.