After serious accusations - Investigations against police academy employees closed
The allegations against employees of the Police School of the state, regarding serious misconduct, have been dropped following investigations by internal investigators of the Thuringian Police and the Prosecutor's Office in Meiningen. The seven ongoing investigative proceedings have all been discontinued, according to Andy Bergmann, the head of investigations, speaking to the German Press Agency in Meiningen.
The investigations were conducted thoroughly. "We have looked into all the accusations that were made at the time and cleared everything up," Bergmann stated.
No suspicion heard
A spokesperson for the Prosecutor's Office Meiningen also confirmed that the corresponding proceedings have been discontinued. This was done in accordance with Paragraph 170, Subsection 2 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which applies whenever the initial suspicion, as a result of investigations, fails to materialize, the spokesperson added.
In 2023, there were serious accusations against instructors at the Police School and at least one former police trainee. There were allegations that superiors may have given good grades to police trainees in exchange for sex between the years 2017 and 2023. Public accusations of bullying and the suspicion of sexual abuse also surfaced, significantly damaging the school's reputation, which is located in Meiningen, in southern Thuringia.
Investigators: unprofessional and distant behavior observed
The discontinuation of the criminal investigations, however, does not mean that the internal investigators did not find any unprofessional or inappropriate behavior during their probe. In fact, they identified unprofessional and distant behavior between superiors and police trainees, Bergmann said. "Despite the fact that the proceedings have been discontinued by the Prosecutor's Office in Meiningen, not everything that transpired there was right."
Those who were under investigation will still have to face disciplinary or personnel consequences. The decision on whether such consequences will be imposed lies with the supervisors of the affected individuals, Bergmann added.
Rules to prevent
The head of the Police School, Jürgen Loyen, announced plans to develop a so-called Compliance Regulation for the institution in the coming months, in which it will be explicitly stated how superiors and police trainees should conduct themselves. Central to this will be a respectful, professional relationship. "I don't expect a buddy-buddy attitude from them," Loyen stated.
Another conclusion drawn from the past incidents is that the aptitude test for potential police trainees should be reviewed once more, Loyen said. "We need to revise many processes, of course, including the aptitude and selection procedure."
In this way, Loyen aims to ensure even better than before that only those people become police trainees and students who are suitable for this profession in terms of character.
- The allegations of misconduct against employees at Thuringia's Police School, specifically in Meiningen, were investigated by both internal investigators from the Thuringian Police and the local public prosecutor's office.
- Despite the discontinuation of the criminal investigations, unprofessional and distant behavior was observed between superiors and police trainees, according to Andy Bergmann, the head of investigations.
- In light of the past incidents, Jürgen Loyen, the head of the Police School, has announced plans to develop a Compliance Regulation to establish clear guidelines for appropriate conduct between superiors and police trainees.
- To prevent such incidents in the future, Loyen also suggested reviewing the aptitude test for potential police trainees to ensure that only suitable candidates are admitted to the Police School.
