Until now, witnesses or injured parties had to appear in person at the criminal investigation department to make their statements. This is often a problem, as the place of residence of those involved and the crime scene are often not the same. In these cases, the office at the place of residence takes over the questioning. Processing by several investigators can lead to longer delays. In future, online questioning will save long journeys, bureaucratic procedures and processing by different departments.

Online questioning has been undergoing trials at Düsseldorf police headquarters since July 2021 - not as a test, but as part of real criminal proceedings. Following the conclusion of the pilot phase, a nationwide implementation concept is now being developed.

Online interrogations are used for minor to moderate crimes, such as minor bodily harm or insults. For the most serious criminal cases, such as murder or sexual offenses, a personal appearance is still required. Particularly sensitive or high-profile cases and proceedings that place special demands on victim protection are also not conducted online.

And this is how the online hearing works:

• After an assessment of the facts of the case, the citizen is offered an online hearing.
• If there is interest in the offer and the technical requirements are available, the responsible criminal investigation department will invite the citizen to a video conference.
• The group of participants can be expanded to include legal advisors, interpreters or caregivers of the invited persons.After joining the video conference, all participants must be admitted to the actual conference by the investigator from a waiting room.
• At the beginning of the interrogation, the identity of the citizen is established and recorded. In addition to the written record, it is also possible to record the hearing digitally.
• Digital screen transmission allows possible evidence to be displayed and shown during the hearing.
• At the end - as in the face-to-face meeting - the minutes are read out, corrected and confirmed by the citizen.

The online hearing is a project of the Pro K initiative, which fits seamlessly into the digital strategy of the NRW police. Both were initiated by Interior Minister Herbert Reul. Under the leadership of State Director of Criminal Investigation Johannes Hermanns, the Pro K initiative is developing ideas and measures to make the criminal investigation department modern, attractive and fit for the future.