- Over a hundred and forty-five prospective law enforcement officers have been disqualified so far.
Last year, we brought on 3,000 rookie cops, and now, 145 of them have bid adieu. The Interior Ministry verified this info to dpa. Even with the added recruits, we're still hovering around the 3,000 mark for young officers.
"On August 15, 2024, we've got 2,976 cops-in-training from the 2023 batch," a ministry spokesperson shared. Most of the 130 who departed did so voluntarily, either to seek new jobs or further their education. A dozen were let go for not being a suitable fit or failing to meet the required performance standards.
The reason why nearly 3,000 trainees are still in the game is due to 100 late joining and current cops transferring from previous cohorts, perhaps due to health issues requiring extended time off.
In September 2024, another 3,000 new cop trainees join the force. The ministry revealed that a whopping 11,200 folks applied for these positions. The current black-green coalition aims to recruit more new officers and boost the number to 3,000.
However, the Police Union (GdP) expresses concerns about the mismatch in training facilities: "The disparity between the recruitment numbers and available resources is so vast that a decrease in quality is inevitable," GdP NRW head Michael Mertens informed dpa. "This leads to dissatisfaction and resignation among trainees, who then abandon their dream job."
Despite these challenges, the need for new recruits remains high in North Rhine-Westphalia. For instance, the city of Duisburg announced a plan to hire 100 additional police officers in the coming year.
Moreover, the police academy in North Rhine-Westphalia is currently undergoing an expansion project to accommodate the increasing number of new trainees, acknowledging the importance of providing adequate resources to support the growing force.
