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Justice Minister Christian Heinz: Reforms, raids and more security for Hesse!
Christian Heinz, Hessian Minister of Justice, looks back on 19 months of successful reforms, including new IP data storage.
Justice Minister Christian Heinz: Reforms, raids and more security for Hesse!
Hesse's Ministry of Justice under the leadership of Christian Heinz (CDU) has achieved a lot in the past 19 months. In office since January 2024, Heinz looks back on a time full of challenges and relevant initiatives. Osthessen-News reports that one of the most important projects was the introduction of the Spanish-style ankle bracelet, which was put into operation at the end of last year without incident. This measure aims to make the monitoring of people who have committed criminal offenses more effective.
Another important point in Heinz's agenda is the creation of 50 new positions in the public prosecutor's office to cope with increasing crime and more complex cases. In Hesse, over 15,000 people already work in the justice system, and the industry is considered an attractive employer, especially in the eastern Hesse region. The ministry also plans to make a decision on the centralization of registry matters by autumn/winter 2025, a step that should further increase the efficiency of the judiciary.
IP address storage in focus
A hot topic that has come up again and again in recent debates is the storage of IP addresses to solve crimes. The demand for a legal basis for the minimum storage of IP addresses is becoming louder Bundestag vehemently supported by various political actors, especially in view of the alarming figures of around 40,000 cases in the area of child pornography, in which no investigations are possible without IP data. Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) emphasizes the urgency of this measure and describes the Hessian draft law on storage as a "milestone" for the immediate program "11+1 for Hesse".
The bill proposes storing IP addresses for a month to make it easier to identify unknown perpetrators, particularly in internet-related crimes. Even though the CDU/CSU parliamentary group is calling for three months of data storage, the FDP denies that a hasty introduction of data retention is the right way. Instead, she advocates a “quick freeze” procedure that should be legally secure and compliant with European law.
Successful measures and future projects
The Hessian judiciary recently recorded another success by busting a call center in Poland that was making shock calls. The operation led to 16 arrests and shows how important international cooperation is in fighting crime. In the future, Hesse's Minister of Justice also wants to implement projects such as the Violence Protection Act and the reform of criminal procedure law and is also planning to develop a finance hub to intensify asset recovery.
In the political discussion, the protection of the weakest, especially children, is a central concern. SPD MP Sebastian Fiedler described child pornography crime as “pandemic” and called for serious efforts to support law enforcement authorities. It remains to be seen how the measures for IP address storage will develop politically and what impact they will have on the police's educational opportunities. The State Chancellery of Hesse emphasizes that the measures aim to ensure a legally secure and proportionate implementation of storage.