Police officers from three federal states are joining forces to combat gangs of burglars in a three-day operation. The Dutch and Belgian police and customs are also taking part in the checks until December 1. The cross-border cooperation was agreed in October in the "Aachen Declaration", signed by the Interior Ministers of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Lower Saxony and Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière with their colleagues from Belgium and the Netherlands. The core of this agreement is an improved exchange of information, improved cooperation in investigation procedures and joint controls.

The ministers involved explain:

NRW Minister of the Interior Ralf Jäger:

"The value of this declaration depends on it being filled with life. That's why it's good to get started quickly. And it is important not to let up. Residential burglaries have a particularly negative impact on people's sense of security. The police need to be just as agile as the burglars have long been. We are dealing with crime tourists who are roaming all over Europe. That's why joint actions are so important."

The Minister of the Interior and Sport of Rhineland-Palatinate, Roger Lewentz:

"Rhineland-Palatinate is characterized by many state and national borders. We need cross-border cooperation to prevent gangs of burglars operating internationally from taking advantage of this. With this joint campaign, we are making it very clear that where our jurisdiction ends, our colleagues take over. I am delighted that the successful cross-border cooperation we maintain with our southern neighbors is now also being continued in the north of Rhineland-Palatinate."

The Minister of the Interior and Sport of Lower Saxony, Boris Pistorius:

"A burglary goes far beyond the material consequences. Ten percent of victims move out afterwards and a further 14 percent would like to do so, but cannot easily do so, for example because it is their own home that has been broken into. That's why we are now working even more intensively with our neighbors at home and abroad; with the three-day campaign, we want to send out a clearly visible signal."