All 180 test models from three different manufacturers went into trial operation this week in Düsseldorf, Münster and Paderborn. All testers can then try out each of the three K-Badges in order to better evaluate the advantages and disadvantages in comparison. The trial will last four weeks and will be carried out in different police stations of the Crime Directorates.
Test provides certainty about added value and suitability for use
The design of the K-Badge was tightly specified. The three versions supplied differ in a few minor details. The aim of the trial is to see which of the three designs proves most effective in everyday service. In addition, initial experience is to be gained regarding the personal safety and recognizability of civilian detectives.
Improving recognizability and self-protection
In large-scale operations in particular, where not all officers know each other, the K-badge will ensure a pragmatic switch between covert work and recognizability in future in order to improve self-protection in operational investigative work. After the undercover approach, investigators can quickly and easily identify themselves to the forces deployed, the persons concerned and members of the public as required. However, the official identification document remains the service ID card.
The K-Badge is hinged and can hold ID cards and business cards. Various ways of wearing it on the belt, in the waistband, on the lanyard or on the jacket allow the "KRIMINALPOLIZEI" lettering and the police star to be directly recognized when required. The new item of equipment makes the work of civilian emergency services easier. If the trial is successful, the North Rhine-Westphalian criminal investigation department will soon be equipped with the new item of equipment.
The NRW police are not reinventing the wheel here, but are drawing on the experience of the Baden-Württemberg police from carrying tests and the real operation of the K-case there with kind permission. In 2020, graduate designer Liane Köhnlein from the LKA Baden-Württemberg developed the prototype in an exclusive design. The Baden-Württemberg criminal investigation department praises the operational value and the associated appreciation.
