End of April 2025: Change of leadership at the Northern Upper Bavaria Police Headquarters – Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann bids farewell to Günther Gietl and introduces Kerstin Schaller as the new police president – Dirk Schmidt becomes the new deputy police president

Change of leadership at the Upper Bavaria North Police Headquarters: Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann bid farewell to President Günther Gietl as he retired during a formal ceremony and introduced the former Vice President Kerstin Schaller as the new Police President. Dirk Schmidt, most recently Head of Criminal Investigation Department 1 at the Swabia North Police Headquarters, will be the new Vice President.

‘I would like to express my sincere thanks to you for almost 48 years of service with the Bavarian police, eight and a half of which you spent as President of the Upper Bavaria North Police Headquarters,’ said Herrmann to Gietl. During his career, which also took him to the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior and the State Criminal Police Office, Gietl always demonstrated tact, a high level of personal commitment and a great sense of responsibility.

‘Your professional competence and your human touch have always been highly valued by everyone involved,’ emphasised Herrmann, wishing her all the best for her retirement. Kerstin Schaller’s professional career and strong personality make her the ‘ideal candidate’ for the new police president. Since 2021, she has headed the Operations Department and served as permanent deputy to the police president.

In addition to her responsibility for large-scale operations, she was particularly committed to promoting young leaders. Herrmann: ‘You show how family and a top career do not have to be mutually exclusive in the Bavarian police force. Your experience in both operational and human resources and your leadership skills make you the ideal candidate for the position of Chief of Police for Upper Bavaria North.’

The Minister of the Interior praised Dirk Schmidt as a ‘highly competent and employee-oriented manager’ who has proven himself in various positions within the Bavarian police force, including the Augsburg Criminal Investigation Department and Criminal Investigation Department 1 at the North Swabian Police Headquarters, and is now taking over the office of Vice President. ‘Your combination of quick thinking and broad expertise will certainly help you master your new tasks. I am confident that the operations department of the Upper Bavaria North Police Headquarters is in the best of hands with you.’

Herrmann also praised the ‘highly successful work’ of the police headquarters’ senior management and all police officers: “In 2024, the crime rate was 3,391 offences per 100,000 inhabitants, which is significantly below the Bavarian average of 4,218 offences per 100,000 inhabitants. And the clearance rate also sends a clear message. At 65.1 percent in 2024, it was above the Bavarian average of 64.9 percent.”