Overview
- Police announced Thursday that Ferrum, the Landeskriminalamt’s time‑limited special investigative unit set up in November 2025, will continue 'until further notice' with possible extension through summer 2027 reported by local outlets.
- The unit is staffed flexibly at about 110 officers with a core team of roughly 25 investigators to respond to complex firearm cases and scale up for large operations.
- Since its founding Ferrum has opened several hundred investigations, carried out more than 300 searches, checked about 4,120 vehicles and 886 venues, and seized roughly 73 firearms and 3,400 rounds of ammunition.
- The prosecutor’s Telum group handles Ferrum cases and had brought 19 indictments by the end of September while some initial prison sentences have been handed down but are not yet final.
- Investigators say many attacks appear tied to protection rackets and dealer turf fights, attacks have repeatedly targeted Turkish‑origin businesses, and the Police Union warns widespread illegal arms availability is driving shootings outside stable criminal networks which will prolong work and keep pressure on resources.