This stuff isn't really in Beta 1, no.

Meh I posted this a long time ago, when I was unwise and sending out colony ships with only 1-2 scouts...

The pirates are not really a threat at all anymore... Lets hope that changes with Beta2.

I'm not sure making pirates too strong is ok... Perhaps a rogue criminal organization (mafia) could spam a fleet at times, but pirates (not acting as an organization) aren't usually capable of amassing huge fleets.

it would be like saying the mafia would attack the army... wounder what the outcome would be...

Pirates should pillage some unprotected or poorly procected systems.
They need to act like it has a meaning to them. Either if they dislike the goverment or just for cash.
So maybe they should gain something from raiding a system. And if they are succesful, they could build more and return in greater numbers.
So if you dont deal with them, they could become a real threat to your empire

Well thats how i think pirates should work

I like your idea.

Mafia on the other hand could take over your planet out of the blue if you didn't keep any ships around it (no police)... The longer the more likely? I don't know how this would fit into the always present fighters... Probalby not.

Maybe as further incentives to attacking a particular person you could have more then just money on the bounty. Perhaps a ship of yours, or maybe the equivalent of technology. For example say your guy uses some sort of kinetic weapons and the other guy uses lasers. You could put your kinetic weapons level 5 tech up and if the one guy gets the bounty then he now has laser weapons level 5 tech. (that is an example based on the fact that I have no knowledge of how the tech works in the game).

i dont think stealing technology from one race to another is gonna happen.. unfortunly.
As they have there own kind of tech, and wont be able to use it.

Ouch, that sadly means trading (or promising as a reward) tech as well...