criminal police
die Kripo, die Kripos
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criminal police
An abbreviation for Kriminalpolizei. This is the police department responsible for investigating and solving crimes.
Die Kripo hat die Ermittlungen in dem Fall übernommen.
The criminal police have taken over the investigation in the case.
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Kripos |
| genitive | der Kripo |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Kripo | die Kripos |
| accusative | die Kripo | die Kripos |
| dative | der Kripo | den Kripos |
| genitive | der Kripo | der Kripos |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
'Kripo' is a short form of 'Kriminalpolizei' (criminal police). Such abbreviations are very common in German, especially for authorities and organizations.
Der Zeuge machte seine Aussage bei der Kripo.
The witness gave his statement to the criminal police.
The word is feminine ('die Kripo'), because the main word of the full term, 'die Polizei' (the police), is also feminine. The gender of abbreviations is often based on the gender of the base word.
Die Kripo bittet die Bevölkerung um Hinweise.
The criminal police are asking the public for information.
Common verbs used with 'Kripo' (criminal police) are 'ermitteln' (to investigate), 'einschalten' (to call in/involve), and 'informieren' (to inform). The word often appears in news reports and crime stories.
Nach dem Einbruch wurde sofort die Kripo eingeschaltet.
After the break-in, the criminal police were called in immediately.
Although it is an abbreviation, 'Kripo' (criminal police) is used not only colloquially, but also in the media and in semi-formal language. The full term 'Kriminalpolizei' (criminal police) is more formal.
In der Zeitung stand, dass die Kripo den Fall gelöst hat.
The newspaper said that the criminal police had solved the case.
