Lower Saxony public prosecutor's office at the limit: urgent need for personnel!

Lower Saxony public prosecutor's office at the limit: urgent need for personnel!

In Lower Saxony, the situation in the public prosecutor's offices is becoming increasingly precarious. On July 7th and 8th, 2025, in the program “Hello Lower Saxony”, directed by Thorsten Hapke, the overload of public prosecutors was examined in detail. This is not only due to the increasing number of investigations, but above all to an acute personnel shortage, which makes the authorities' work more difficult and pushes employees to their limits. The broadcast period vividly outlines the problem: Monday, July 7th from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Tuesday, July 8th at 2:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., all under the direction of Eckhardt Reimann as editorial director and Wolfgang Feist as production manager.[NDR reports]

Justice Minister Kathrin Wahlmann (SPD) recently explained in the state parliament that many employees are already working at their limits. The burden is particularly high in the Hanover region and the Celle Attorney General's Office. With a calculated need for 117 additional positions for 2023, the situation is anything but relaxing. You can also see this in the numbers: Since 2017, new cases against “known perpetrators” have increased from 483,811 to 567,238. This alarming data highlights the growing pressure on prosecutors.[NWZ-Online reports]

The shocking numbers

• Neuzugänge 2017: 483.811 gegen bekannte Täter
• Neuzugänge 2023: 567.238 gegen bekannte Täter
• Ansteiger im Bezirk Oldenburg: 145.089 auf 162.651
• Unbekannte Täter: Steigerung von 280.753 auf 316.623

The need for staff is not just a numbers problem. The values ​​calculated using a special system for personnel planning, “Pebb§y”, show that the workload in Lower Saxony increased from a value of 1.16 in 2018 to 1.23 in 2023. The public prosecutor's office in Hanover in particular has to cope with the highest burden with a value of 1.38. Although the need for additional positions is obvious, only six out of eleven requested positions were created in the 2024 budget. The question here is whether politicians and their decisions are up to the challenge.[NWZ-Online reports]

Political reactions and future outlook

The CDU parliamentary group has sharply criticized the current government and is calling for reforms. The debate about lowering the hiring requirements for new positions is particularly controversial. Justice Minister Wahlmann denies this possibility, but refers to a decree that allows certain deviations. The situation remains tense: a “solidarity campaign” has created at least 20 additional positions for the Celle Public Prosecutor's Office, but that may not be enough to solve the personnel shortage in the long term.[NWZ-Online reports]

In addition to the topic of the public prosecutor's office, the program's agenda also included investments in the police's vehicle fleet and IT forensics as well as the search for World War ammunition in the Salzgitter branch canal. The topic of “youth hostel” is also highlighted, including the life of the hostel father, and an innovative project that brings rap music into schools. However, the challenges facing public prosecutors cast a shadow over these diverse issues and serve as a reminder that there is still much to be done in the judicial landscape in Lower Saxony.[NDR reports]