After his studies at the Freie Universität Berlin, Mr. Bratz has joined the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in 1992. He acted as Deputy Head of the Counterfeit Currency Unit and was then seconded as Head of the Group Illegal Immigration to the German Internal Ministry. Subsequently Mr. Bratz led for five years the Unit Illegal Immigration at the European Criminal Police Office EUROPOL in The Hague, The Netherlands. After another secondment for five years to the German Embassy in Moscow as Senior Liaison Officer of the German Police towards the Russian Federation he is currently special adviser to the Vice-President of the BKA on security research issues and deputy Head of the Unit Strategic Planning.

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING PROCESS WITHIN THE GERMAN FEDERAL CRIMINAL POLICE OFFICE (BKA)

The German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has introduced in a pilot project an innovative form of planning and objective setting which combines elements of early detection, context information and defining strategic goals in order to determine the relevant priorities, and - ideally – link it to budget planning and human resources decisions. The circle of strategic planning will be described and visualized as generic as possible and as detailed as needed. It is an example how an organisation determines its own goals and priorities instead of just reacting to external steering processes.

Strategic Planning circle: Bearing in mind any information that might be useful for the strategy planning process – particularly results of the context related so called “environmental analysis” – the “Strategic Goals” are developed in a multi-level process, integrating all divisions of the BKA. On the basis of four main „Strategic Goals“ each division subsequently develops its own objectives to be achieved during the planning period (yearly), taking into account the resources to be expected. Finally, the “Strategic Annual Planning of the BKA” is adopted at the “Planning and Objective Setting Conference” at senior-management level, which takes place at every end of the year.

The achievements made on by the relevant parts of the organization are regularly and systematically checked. This supports the senior-management to undertake any steering measures required for the management of the organization as a whole, encompassing participation, transparency and control in one coherent procedure, which also improves the identification of each BKA-employee with his organisation.