We are involved in all areas of police operations and are therefore faced with a wide range of tasks, from advisory activities for special unit operations and nationwide road safety work to the operational service of the police aviation squadron or our state control center for nationwide coordination.
One of the most modern police control centers in Europe, based at the LZPD NRW, supports the district police authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia around the clock, 365 days a year. From here, we coordinate emergency services throughout NRW, from the riot police to the police aviation squadron to special units in special situations. We are equipped with modern communications technology for rapid support in missing persons searches, pursuits or attacks and are able to communicate with every patrol car in North Rhine-Westphalia and the police authorities in neighboring countries. We also collect all relevant information on important incidents around the clock - from serious crimes to major events - and make it available to all police authorities.
"Investigate, search and rescue" - these are the core tasks of our colleagues in the police aviation squadron. From their bases in Düsseldorf and Dortmund, they support the police forces in NRW from the air day and night with highly specialized helicopters. From their bases, the helicopters can reach any location in the state within 30 minutes at the latest. Whether searching for missing persons, looking for bank robbers or investigating environmental crimes, we provide support with night vision devices or thermal imaging cameras to identify details from the air that often remain hidden from the police officers on the ground. For example, the thermal imaging cameras can detect temperature differences of less than 1 degree Celsius on the ground or on the water and thus find people in emergency situations. On average, over 2,000 missions are flown each year, including mainly searches for missing persons and manhunts.
Every district police authority works on safety on NRW roads every day with its own traffic accident prevention and traffic monitoring measures in order to significantly reduce the number of fatalities and injuries in NRW. Here at the LZPD NRW, the threads from the state come together and are evaluated in our traffic department. For example, we are working intensively on the gradual digitalization of traffic accident recording and traffic monitoring, including the securing of digital vehicle lanes for the police. We are thoroughly investigating new phenomena, such as illegal car racing, and are taking nationwide measures to combat them. In this way, we ensure the dynamic development of the specialist traffic strategy and promote cooperation between the North Rhine-Westphalian authorities. We are involved in state campaigns for traffic accident prevention, such as "Crash Course NRW", and are available to the police authorities as advisors on all traffic issues. We are networked nationally and internationally in road safety committees in order to positively influence safety on NRW's roads in a future-oriented manner by exchanging ideas with others.