As the central office of the German police, the BKA is the information hub where all important police intelligence and news converge. It operates central files and directories such as the search computer or the DNA analysis file for all police stations throughout Germany and thus makes a decisive contribution to effective crime fighting. Through the forensic research and development of its laboratories and institutes, the BKA plays a leading role worldwide in this field.

As an investigator and prosecutor, the BKA always comes into play when it comes to organized crime on an international scale, such as terrorist attacks, cyber attacks, kidnappings and hostage-taking, or when a public prosecutor's office commissions the BKA to investigate a particularly serious crime.

In order to effectively combat international crimes in cooperation with law enforcement authorities in Europe and worldwide, the BKA acts as the national central office for Interpol, Europol and the Schengen Information System. In this function, the federal German authority handles official communications with all partners abroad and maintains a direct line to all police headquarters around the globe.

The BKA's bodyguards are also responsible for protecting members of the federal constitutional bodies and their state guests.

On the basis of these five pillars, the BKA meets current and future challenges - above all the increasing internationalization and digitalization of crime as well as the growing threat of extremist and terrorist attacks. Since it was founded over 70 years ago, the authority has pursued a strategy that, on the one hand, focuses on continuous specialization, for example in the areas of IT forensics and cyber evidence. On the other hand, increasing networking with international partners and the pooling of resources in new competence centers, for example in the fight against terrorism, is playing an ever more important role. This puts the BKA at the forefront of the fight against crime worldwide and makes Germany one of the safest countries in the world.

The BKA has been represented in Wiesbaden since 1952. At its three locations in Wiesbaden, Meckenheim near Bonn and Berlin, it employed over 7,500 staff (approx. 40 %) in 2021. Just over half of the employees are criminal investigation officers.