Police work in Witzenhausen: Alert overtime and personnel.

Police work in Witzenhausen: Alert overtime and personnel.

overtime flood with the police in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis: A growing problem

The situation for police officers in the Werra-Meißner district is heading up. In the past few months, the accumulation of overtime has achieved an alarming level, which indicates an increasing workload that is not only not only locally but also nationwide.

alarming numbers of overtime

The police stations in Witzenhausen, Hessisch Lichtenau, Eschwege and Sontra show a worrying picture. By the beginning of 2024, the officials in Witzenhausen had accumulated 4,800 overtime; Over 1,200 hours were added by the end of the first half of the year. In Hessisch Lichtenau, the overtime rose from 4,600 to 6,900, while in Eschwege the numbers even got from 10,500 to 13,000. These increases are partly due to the particularly high demands during the European Championship, which still exacerates the situation.

Lack of personnel as a core problem

Guido Winnige, deputy chairman of the police union (GDP) in the Werra-Meißner-Kreis, makes it clear that the reason for the overtime is mainly in the lack of personnel. Despite promises to create new positions, there are not enough police growth to fill these positions. This leads to officials switching from other locations and the existing problem is only postponed.

Difficulties in lining out overtime

Another problem is that many police officers are hardly able to celebrate their accumulated overtime due to the lack of staff. In addition, the financial payment of overtime is not very attractive, as there is only a small amount left after taxes. This calls the demand for a tax -free payment of overtime on the plan to offer the officials incentives to reduce their overtime.

demographic challenges and new crime fields

Demographic development also plays a role: While many experienced officials are about to retire, the number of new applicants is declining. At the same time, new crime fields such as cybercrime are becoming increasingly relevant, which also increases the workload. Guido Winnige emphasizes that the only solution for personnel bottlenecks could be a substantial increase in salaries to make the profession more attractive.

reactions of the Interior Ministry

The Hessian Ministry of the Interior has reacted to the situation and has been planning additional jobs in recent years with several security packages to relieve the police. According to the ministry, the internal security of the citizens is considered the highest priority, and additional positions are also provided for the future.

The observed overtime and the associated pressure on the police officers in the Werra-Meißner district have a simple, nationwide problem of police work in Hesse, which urgently needs to be addressed.

- Nag