The new Whistleblower Protection Act (HinSchG) has been in force since July 2, 2023. It is intended to protect people who come across grievances or breaches of the law in their professional environment and wish to report them - securely and confidentially.

The City of Bonn is obliged to set up an internal reporting office for this purpose. This is located in the Audit Office and is managed by specially trained employees. They investigate every report carefully and confidentially, help to clarify problems and thus ensure greater transparency and fairness in the city administration.

It is not only employees who can provide information - external persons, such as former applicants, service users, participants in municipal procurement procedures or persons affected by municipal decisions, can also do so. The only important thing is that the information must be professionally related.

To make reporting particularly secure and anonymous, the City of Bonn uses the digital whistleblowing system "Integrity Line" from EQS Group GmbH. The system enables encrypted communication between whistleblowers and the reporting office - completely anonymously if desired. Important to know: Only the employees of the reporting office have access to the content. Neither the city's IT department nor the software provider can read it.

If you become aware of a possible violation in the course of your work or professional contact with the City of Bonn, you can easily report it via the online system:

You can find out exactly what can be reported here:

General information about the system itself can be found at: