The Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) dates back to March 1951. At that point in time, the Law on the Establishment of a Federal Criminal Police Office came into force. The development of the BKA as the criminal police of the German Federation over more than 60 years must be viewed in the context of social and political developments as well as technical progress. Together with the other police forces of the Federation and the Federal states and in co-operation with foreign security agencies, the BKA makes an active contribution to maintaining internal security in a free, democratic Europe. By acting in a constitutional manner, the BKA provides services to the citizens and to the state, as a matter of social responsibility, and thereby works towards the implementation of the value system laid down in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Bundeskriminalamt is an essential cornerstone in a comprehensive system of crime control and works as a partner with the police forces of the Federation and of the individual German states. The Forensic Science Institute of the BKA is one of the nine departments in the Federal office with about 300 employees (including 80 court-going scientists).
The institute is accredited according to DIN/ISO 17025 and 17020, and maintains the quality management system in place. The toxicological section (KT 45) of the BKA consists of a team of 5 forensic experts, 8 technicians and (at present) 1 PhD student. It is specifically responsible for qualitative and quantitative analysis of drug samples and poisons, including eco-drugs, doping agents and pharmaceutical preparations, confiscated by the police and customs. Additionally it performs chemical impurity profiling of heroin samples and the complex ATS analyses routinely. The Central Analysis Programme Ecstasy (CAPE) has been initiated with the aim of finding solutions and devising a scheme for coping with these complex challenges on a national and international level.