German and Italian national police have set up a joint task force against mafia-style organized crime, a spokesman for the Federal Crime Office BKA said Wednesday, according to DPA. "Investigations over the past year have clearly shown how important Germany is for the Italian mafia," BKA president Joerg Ziercke said at the signing ceremony in Berlin. In Germany's worst mafia-style killing, six people were gunned down late on August 14 in the city of Duisburg in what is believed to have been a settling of scores between two clans in the 'NDrangheta organized crime movement of Calabria, southern Italy. "The brutality of the crimes committed in Duisburg has a new dimension and requires wider measures," said Ziercke. In the past decade, more than 65 Italian nationals have been arrested in Germany for membership of mafia-like organizations. Italian police chief Antonio Manganelli said the joint task force would combat organized crime in Germany and track down mafia funds. It will also evaluate data and other information on mafia activities in Germany. The Federal Criminal Office, based at Wiesbaden, west of Frankfurt, investigates inter-state crime in Germany, where prime police responsibility is held by the 16 states.
