Citizen proximity and a focus on the security needs of citizens are indisputably the key assessment factors for the performance of the police. The citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia have many opportunities to form their own personal opinion on this: If they receive help from the police, by attending information events or participating in citizen surveys. Opinions are of course also influenced by media coverage.

The police need the trust of the public in order to effectively ward off dangers and prosecute crimes. It is therefore important to convey a credible image of the police institution and its officers to the public. This is why the police see the provisions of the state press law as a special obligation.

Tasks of police press and public relations work

The press and public relations work of the North Rhine-Westphalian police makes an active contribution to an open flow of information. To ensure successful press and media work, the police have set up press and specialist public relations offices throughout the state.

Qualified public relations staff strive to convey information and messages quickly, clearly and competently to the media and citizens.

Public relations employees are first and foremost the point of contact for citizens. However, they are also responsible for internal public relations work within the authorities. They organize visits to police stations or an open day, they advise and support film and television companies on crime scene productions, they publish staff newspapers and information brochures, create police internet and intranet pages and manage the police's social media offerings.

However, it is not only in day-to-day business that the police provide information quickly and comprehensively through accompanying press and public relations work, especially in the case of outstanding police operations, such as serious accidents or major demonstrations.

The state editorial team for online police services

In December 2013, the NRW police online services editorial team was set up at the Ministry of the Interior. The state editorial office brings together the threads for internal and external public relations work on the police information platforms Intrapol (the police intranet), Extrapol (the nationwide intranet of the state and federal police forces), the internet and social media.

The establishment of the NRW police online services editorial office was the logical step towards implementing a central, coordinating editorial office for police content in all online services used. It is the answer to an increasingly digitalized world in which information and communication no longer takes place via posters and flyers but via the Internet and social media. The aim is to ensure a distinctive appearance of the NRW police in the online media used throughout the state, consistent core messages, the provision of reliable information and a summarizing strategic concept.

The core tasks of the state editorial team include:

• the central editorial office on all platforms used by the police,
• coordinating and strategically developing online communication,
• the congruent provision of quality-assured police information that is appropriate for the target group and platform, 
• creating and updating strategic concepts for crisis communication on the platforms used by the police.