BERLIN, April 12 (Xinhua) -- German interior minister and Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Horst Seehofer has promised more funds to national security agencies on Thursday.
Speaking during a visit to the Joint Terrorism Defense Center (GTAZ) in Berlin, Seehofer vowed that the federal government would do everything in its power to endow security agencies with the necessary resources to do the "best possible job" in keeping German citizens safe.
The minister's public comments were made shortly before the start of budgetary negotiations between his department and the Finance Ministry led by Olaf Scholz (SPD).
Seehofer emphasized that there was an ongoing and "serious" increase in threats related to Islamic terrorism recorded by German security authorities. The situation remained tense in this context and a successful terrorist attack could never be ruled out entirely.
The federal government had consequently decided to create a new anti-terror unit within the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) which would assist the GTAZ in its own work. The GTAZ was first founded in 2004 as an interdisciplinary platform linking diverse German security agencies.
Seehofer praised the organizations record of "excellent work" on Thursday, highlighting that GTZ had made a significant contribution to preventing potential terrorist attacks in the past.
Aside from the new anti-terror unit in the BKA, however, the interior minister did not perceive a need to further overhaul Germany's federal system of policing which frequently makes strict distinctions between national and state-level responsibilities.
Seehofer expressed confidence that the "basic structures" of German policing, including with regards to the division of labor between the federal and state- level were still "appropriate" to counter security threats in the 21st century.
