Undercover police operations

An amendment to the Police Act in 2001 gave the police the power to conduct undercover operations and make sham purchases in order to combat serious and organised crime.

In an undercover operation a police officer obtains information about a crime or a criminal group by infiltrating as close as possible to the target. He or she can assume a cover occupation, posing as, e.g., a waiter or driver, or take part in the criminal group’s activities, but not commit illegal acts.

For an undercover operation to be effective and safe, it must remain secret. Therefore the law enables the infiltrating officer to give disguised or misleading information; for example, he or she can be provided with false identity papers and his or her car with false registration plates.

A decision to conduct undercover operations is entrusted to the head of the Central Criminal Police and in matters within the remit of the Security Police to its head.

The Ombudsman oversees the legality of also these activities.