Suche
Mein Konto
New police chief for Braunschweig: Thomas Ring takes over!
On June 30, 2025, Police Chief Michael Pientka says goodbye after 46 years of service; Thomas Ring will be his successor.
New police chief for Braunschweig: Thomas Ring takes over!
June 30, 2025 will go down in the history books for the Braunschweig Police Department because on this day, long-time police chief Michael Pientka retired after more than 46 years of service. Pientka, who has been at the helm of the police department since July 2013, had an impressive career. Previously, he worked at the Hanover Police Department, the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office and the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior, among others. He will now be succeeded by Thomas Ring, the previous president of the Lüneburg Police Department, who will manage business in Braunschweig from July 1, 2025. Pientka was given a fitting farewell in a solemn ceremony led by Daniela Behrens, Lower Saxony's Minister for the Interior, Sport and Digitalization.
The event took place in a festive setting in the conference rooms of the Braunschweig Police Department on Friedrich-Voigtländer-Straße. Media representatives were invited to document this significant moment. Behrens expressed her confidence in Ring's ability to increase public confidence in policing and address the challenges ahead.
A new style for police headquarters
In another groundbreaking step for police work in Lower Saxony, Minister Behrens announced that the regulation according to which police chiefs are political officials will be abolished. In the future they will become career civil servants. This reform is intended not only to strengthen the independence of the police, but also to increase the security of pay for officers. The planned change to the Civil Service and Salary Act is currently on the agenda and is to be decided in the cabinet and in the state parliament. As part of this restructuring, the salaries of six police chiefs will be reduced from B4 to B3. However, this will benefit the inspection ladders, which will be raised from A15 to A16.
This measure has been positively received by unions such as the GdP and DPolG. Interestingly, four police chiefs, including Pientka and Ring, remain in their positions, eliminating the risk of a short-term retirement. This shows that the new regulations are intended to increase stability within police leadership.
A look into the future
The police in Lower Saxony are therefore facing an exciting upheaval. Thomas Ring, who joined the criminal police in 1999, brings extensive experience with him, having held various positions at the Lower Saxony State Criminal Police Office as well as the Braunschweig Police Department and the Lower Saxony State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Since 2018 he has worked as police chief in Lüneburg and has also made a significant impact there.
The farewell to Pientka and the assumption of office by Ring are not only a change at the top, but also a signal for change in police work in Lower Saxony. The changes could have noticeable effects on police work for the citizens of the region. With a breath of fresh air at the helm of the Braunschweig Police Department, the police will actively address the challenges of the future.
For further information you can consult the reports from Regional today, Press portal and Panoramic view of Lower Saxony be used. The next few months will show how quickly new structures and approaches will become established in daily police work.