Preventive detention divides the state parliament
Opinions differed widely in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament during a debate on the duration of preventive detention. Specifically, the debate on Tuesday concerned a draft bill from the Free Voters parliamentary group. In it, the party is in favor of extending the maximum duration of such detention from the current seven to 14 days, with the possibility of an extension of up to a further 14 days by court order. This would make it possible to amend the Police and Regulatory Authorities Act (POG).
Stephan Wefelscheid from the Free Voters said that the amendment was intended to take account of the changed security situation. He also referred to the case of a sex offender known to the police who had allegedly abducted and abused a ten-year-old girl in Edenkoben in September. FDP parliamentary group leader Philipp Fernis described this reference as populist.
Alongside the Free Voters, representatives of the CDU and AfD parliamentary groups supported the proposal. CDU MP Dirk Herber said that the police had to be able to react to the increasingly diverse and complex threats. The Ampel parliamentary groups spoke out unanimously against the draft. Carl-Bernhard von Heusinger from the Green parliamentary group warned that it was a very serious encroachment on civil liberties.
Interior Minister Michael Ebling said that the Free Voters' proposal would not help in the end. "It falls short of the limits of proportionality," said the SPD politician. Further discussions in the Committee on Internal Affairs and Legal Affairs should also consider how often the current maximum limit of seven days is used. This has only been the case twice so far in Rhineland-Palatinate in 2023. This should be taken into account before "senseless" tightening.
The proposal to extend preventive detention duration from seven to 14 days, with potential court-ordered extensions, was met with support from the Police and Regulatory Authorities Act (POG) amendment advocates in Parliament, including the Free Voters, CDU, and AfD groups. However, critics like the Green parliamentary group's Carl-Bernhard von Heusinger argued that this could lead to a significant encroachment on civil liberties, and Interior Minister Michael Ebling agreed, advocating for careful consideration of the current usage of the seven-day maximum before implementing any changes. Meanwhile, witnesses of a recent sex offender case referred to in Parliament by Stephan Wefelscheid from the Free Voters also raised concerns about the need for heightened security measures, leading to heated debates in Parliament regarding the balance between security and civil liberties, involving the Police and Parliament.
Source: www.dpa.com
