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Criminal complaint to the police; reimbursement
You can file a report if you believe that a criminal offense has been committed. Online reporting is possible for online auction fraud and certain crimes involving bicycles or motor vehicles, among other things.
Online services
Online services
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Anzeigeerstattung bei der Bayerischen Polizei online
The following crimes can be reported online:
- Online auction fraud
- Theft of a bicycle
- Damage to property of a bicycle
- Embezzlement of a bicycle
- Damage to property of a motor vehicle
- Theft of vehicle parts
- Theft of objects from an unlocked motor vehicle
Do not accept emergency calls! In case of emergency call 110!
Responsible for you
For contact details of the responsible authoritiy and local valid information select under "Select location" a location.
Procedure details
Description
A criminal complaint is the notification of facts to the competent law enforcement authorities which, in the opinion of the person making the complaint, could constitute a criminal offense.
Filing a report of a suspected criminal offense (e.g. theft or assault, a form of cybercrime or other crimes) triggers a police investigation. In principle, a report cannot be withdrawn.
Anyone is entitled to file a report, not just an injured party. Anonymous reports can only be made by non-personal means, as every witness is obliged to provide their personal details. A report against persons unknown is permissible. It is also possible to report yourself.
There is no legal obligation for private individuals to report criminal offenses that have already been committed. Private individuals are only required by law to report the planning of certain criminal offenses listed in Section 138 StGB.
Legal note: Reporting a crime can have serious consequences. Anyone who fakes an unlawful act or wrongly suspects another person by knowingly providing false information is liable to prosecution.
Furthermore, you are damaging successful police work if the police have to investigate a "faked crime" instead of dealing with actual crime during this time.
Requirements
You can file a complaint if you believe that a criminal offense has been committed.
Required documents
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Depending on the individual case, different documents (e.g. evidence) are necessary.
Proceedings
The criminal complaint can be filed with a police authority, a public prosecutor's office or a local court. As the investigation is usually carried out by the police, it is advisable to file a complaint there to speed up the investigation. It can be made verbally or in writing. The verbal report is recorded.
The police submit the report to the public prosecutor's office by order. Once the investigation has been completed, the public prosecutor's office decides whether charges will be brought against the accused or whether the case will be dropped. In the latter case, the complainant will receive a written notification informing him or her of any appeal options.
If you file a complaint, the police may ask for various pieces of information:
- Personal details of the complainant
- Description of the facts of the case
- Description of the crime from your point of view
- Details of the place and time of the crime
- Information on weapons, tools, motor vehicles or other objects used in the crime
- If the perpetrator is known: give their personal details
- If the perpetrator is unknown: give a precise description of the person
- Information on the motive
- Details of the injured parties, injured persons or property damage caused
- Information on the personal details of witnesses
- Details of all measures already taken
Fees
none
Deadlines
None in principle. However, in the case of certain less serious offenses, prosecution is not possible if the injured party does not declare their interest in prosecution to the authorities within 3 months of becoming aware of the offense and the perpetrator. Otherwise, the general statute of limitations applies.
Legal bases
Related issues
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License plates; notification in the event of theft, loss or discovery
If you have lost one or both of your vehicle's license plates, if they have been stolen or if they are no longer legible, a new license plate must be issued.
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Identity card; notification of loss and recovery
If your German ID card cannot be found or has been lost, you must report the loss. If you find the document again later, you must also report this.
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Identity card; blocking and unblocking the online ID function in the event of loss
You can have the online ID function of your ID card blocked either by calling the telephone blocking hotline or at the ID card authority. If you find your ID card again, you can have it unblocked at the ID card office.
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Passport; notification of loss and recovery
If your German passport cannot be found or has been lost, you must report the loss. If you find the document again later, you must also report this.
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Penalty order; objectionPenalty orders can be appealed against.
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Criminal cases; information on hearings and decisions before the regional court (appeal instance)
The criminal divisions of the regional courts decide on appeals against the criminal verdicts of the criminal judge and the lay assessor's court.
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Criminal cases; information on hearings and decisions before the regional court (1st instance)
The criminal divisions of the regional courts are the first instance courts responsible for hearing and deciding certain serious criminal cases.
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Criminal cases; hearing and decision before the local courtThe local courts are the courts of first instance responsible for hearing and deciding certain criminal cases.
Status: 24.11.2024
Editorial responsibility Bayerisches Staatsministerium des Innern, für Sport und Integration
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