In the case of encryption, when you design it broken, it is broken for everyone.
So when you assume to spy on “criminals” (which could be some gay guy you want to put to death), you need to assume that they can spy on you as well (North Korea looking at Interpol).
They simply don't understand the implications of what they are doing. They should involve more technologically savvy privacy experts.
Those involved with CSAM et al are competent as well in their field, but don’t realize they are the pawn they are.
The politicians though, sure, incompetent. No politician in the United States has an engineering degree, for example. So they are stupid enough to follow what someone tells them. Stupidity and fear and wonderful in others if you have an agenda.
Those people are basically never acting on incompetence, or on competence for that matter. And stop trying to make excuses for people caught in malicious acts again and again.
There is such thing as wilful ignorance, as Aristotle condemned it millennia ago, and it is morally reprehensible.