 In 1946 Arthur Franke joined the SED, becoming a member of the new party's district leadership team in the Tiergarten (Zoo) quarter of Berlin.Between 1945 and 1947 he was also the party's local Agitation and Propaganda secretary.On 1 January 1949 he joined the "People's Police" (""Volkspolizei"") as a commissioner and department head with the Criminal Police in Berlin's Police Headquarters.