Police in Lüneburg: Promotions stopped - gender in focus!

Police in Lüneburg: Promotions stopped - gender in focus!

In the Lüneburg police department, promotions are in jeopardy. Currently, 26 police officers are unable to be promoted from salary level A10 to A11. The reason for this lies in ongoing proceedings before the administrative court, in which officials have filed applications for interim legal protection. The lawsuit is directed against a controversial procedure in the Uelzen police station that is intended to specifically favor women, which is met with skepticism by many colleagues. According to an initial ruling by the Lüneburg judges, a “shift in standards in favor of the female gender” is unconstitutional. The judgment focuses on “suitability, ability and professional performance” as the central criteria for promotions, as Lüneburg aktuell reports.

In addition, serious allegations were made against the police department, which revolved around increasing the quota of women in management positions. An internal document revealing leaks led to a determination to negatively evaluate not only performance but also gender in evaluations of male police officers. The judges classified this as a violation of the Basic Law. The administrative court demands a fair and gender-equitable assessment of all police officers. Due to these processes, promotions to level A11 have almost stopped for a year and a half, which leads to a considerable backlog, as the Landezeitung explains in detail.

Criticism and support

The Association of German Criminal Investigators (BdK) has already put pressure on the police department and speaks of a completely inappropriate approach to the promotion of women. It is criticized that an informal approach was documented in Uelzen that does not comply with the guidelines. The BdK represents around 800 members and calls for the proper implementation of equality measures. According to Stefan Franz, a representative of the state executive board, it is important that the promotion of women is applied correctly. Former and active civil servants also report internal pressure to systematically consider women and part-time employees for promotions.

Although Interior Minister Daniela Behrens describes the case as “not important for the Lower Saxony police,” Franz sees it differently. He and other critical voices point out that these practices can be observed not only in Lüneburg, but also in other departments. This makes the role of equal opportunities officers all the more important in this debate. They have been active for over 30 years and are committed to equal opportunities. A current study shows the challenges and opportunities that equality work brings with it in the police, especially with regard to the support structures provided by the police union, as Böckler summarizes.

Overall, the situation remains tense and the discussion about gender equality within the police continues to be followed like a hawk. It remains to be seen how the legal proceedings will develop and what measures the Lüneburg Police Department will take to resolve the ongoing backlog of promotions.