Scandal over ailing police departments: mold and intolerable conditions!

Scandal over ailing police departments: mold and intolerable conditions!

The police in Germany are confronted with alarming conditions that endanger both the safety of officers and citizens. The police union (GdP) is urgently drawing attention to the dilapidated and health-endangering departments. Hundreds of police buildings are affected and have defects such as decades-old toilets, mold infestation, vermin and broken heating systems and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Holes in roofs through which rain falls are by no means an isolated case. Hagen Husgen, member of the GdP federal executive board, criticizes the federal government's insufficient additional investments, which cannot begin to solve the pressing problems, as stern.de reports.

In addition, the inadequate equipment in company vehicles causes further problems. Husgen describes the vehicles as “shameful” and “embarrassing.” Torn seats, high mileages of up to half a million and broken gear sticks mean that the police are severely restricted in their daily work. But not only the vehicles, but also the buildings themselves are in a questionable condition. In Brandenburg, for example, there is a shortage of almost 1,000 police officers, while dilapidated police buildings make the professional field unattractive, as rbb24 reports.

grievances in detail

A particularly blatant example of the conditions is the police station in Kyritz, where eroded wooden beams and exposed power cables indicate the urgent need for renovation. The same applies to the Cottbus police station, which does not comply with fire regulations, and buildings in Seelow, which have not been renovated for 25 years. While almost 130 million euros are planned for investments in the upcoming double budget 2025/2026, Interior Minister Katrin Lange (SPD) points out that it is not just money, but also the framework conditions that are crucial.

The GdP also calls for structural changes to make the police more attractive. The current challenges, such as the recruitment process and the necessary adjustments to career law for new employees, should be addressed urgently. 440 candidates are currently being trained at the police main school in Oranienburg, which shows that the need for new staff is considerable.

Invitation to invest

In South Baden, the German Police Union (DPolG) even looked for the “most dilapidated office building”. The unacceptable conditions, such as mold and unnecessary temporary measures, put a considerable strain on the police officers' work. The DPolG state chief Ralf Kusterer is calling for attention to the grievances and criticizing the lack of construction work, which, in his view, would cost over 100 million euros to cover the need for renovation sueddeutsche.de reported.

The current situation therefore offers no reason to relax. On the one hand, there is the need for investments and the expansion of necessary technical means, such as in the area of ​​digitalization, in order to continue to adequately deal with increasing cybercrime. On the other hand, the police, who also ensure our security, are increasingly finding themselves in a whirlwind of shortages and discontent. At this point it is time for the federal and state governments to listen to the ongoing demands of the unions in order to make the police in Germany fit for the future.