Public prosecutor's office (Germany)

They are the offices of the public prosecutors which are criminal justice bodies attached to the judiciary but separate from the courts.

The public prosecutor, the Staatsanwalt (German: [ʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvalt] ⓘ, state attorney), reviews the findings of the police and decides whether to indict the accused or halt the proceedings.

The prosecutor's office has (in theory) the duty to investigate and pursue any matter in its jurisdiction as soon as it learns that a criminal offence may have been committed (Legalitätsprinzip).

However, due to their superior number of personnel and amount of training and experience, the police conduct the vast majority of criminal investigations on their own.

Police also contact prosecutors at an early stage when significant publicity is expected or they need help gaining a judicial arrest or search warrant etc., or when the Ermittlungsrichter is to interrogate a witness.