After a crime has been committed, you can file a criminal complaint with the police or the public prosecutor's office. You can do this personally, by post or online. Please note that some offences can only be prosecuted if you file a request to prosecute within three months. This is the case, for example, if you have been the victim of an insult.

A criminal complaint can also be filed online, via so-called online police stations. The Land police stations can be found under the following links: online police stations and contact details of the Land police stations.

With the exception of offences that can be prosecuted only upon request of the victim (and thus only if the victim wishes), the further course of the investigative proceedings is then no longer in the hands of the person filing the criminal complaint, but rather becomes the responsibility of the public prosecutor's office. A criminal complaint cannot be withdrawn. Anyone who files a criminal complaint acts as a witness rather than as a prosecutor.

You can find more information about filing a criminal complaint here.