Society - Rhineland-Palatinate residents annoyed by the work of the police
The behavior of police officers on duty, the actions of law enforcement officers during investigations and anger at the inaction of security forces - these were the main reasons for complaints in Rhineland-Palatinate about the work of the police. There were a total of 176 submissions in the period from the beginning of July 2022 to mid-June this year, seven more than before, as reported by Barbara Schleicher-Rothmund, Commissioner for Citizens' and State Police, in Mainz on Thursday.
The majority of the complaints, with 90 admissible submissions, came from citizens. One woman, for example, complained that she and her companions had been stopped by the police during a demonstration by coronavirus opponents and accused of an administrative offense. The group was traveling in a different direction and had demonstrably also been vaccinated against coronavirus. However, no misdemeanor proceedings were initiated following the incident. Schleicher-Rothmund said that a conflict resolution meeting had been held together.
Another petition had concerned the deployment of police officers following a suspected amok incident at a school and had been submitted by a pupil. The officers had taken a suspect out of his classroom for the operation and led him into the corridor. The pupil then dropped to the floor screaming and was held down by officers. Following the operation, the police were accused of using unreasonable force. However, the examination of the allegations did not reveal any unlawful actions on the part of the officers, which is why the complaint was rejected, the commissioner announced.
The 27 complaints from police officers mainly concerned transfers, regulations on aid and the conduct of superiors. However, there were also some cases in which police officers had only reported by telephone and not with a specific complaint. Schleicher-Rothmund reported that the reason given by the officers was that contact with the state police commissioner was not desired by their superiors and they therefore feared disadvantages on the job.
The state police commissioner emphasized that these reports were taken very seriously. It is regulated by law that police officers can contact their department directly without going through official channels. This should not result in any disadvantages in terms of service or otherwise. These calls are also an indication that there is trust in their work. However, the SPD politician, who is also the ombudswoman for Rhineland-Palatinate, explained that the work of the police commissioner could generally be better known after around ten years of existence of this contact point.
In addition to complaints from citizens and police officers, the 2022/23 activity report also listed requests for information that concerned both citizens and police officers. There were also submissions that were processed as petitions. According to the Commissioner, some of the remaining 176 submissions were inadmissible.
Rhineland-Palatinate was the first federal state to create the office of a parliamentary ombudsman in 1974. Since 2014, the ombudswoman has also been the commissioner for the state police. Schleicher-Rothmund has held the office of Commissioner for the State Police since April 2018.
The tasks of the State Police Commissioner
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- The woman from Rhineland-Palatinate expressed her dissatisfaction with the police's handling during a coronavirus protest, alleging that she and her group were incorrectly accused of an administrative offense despite following regulations.
- Amidst the 176 complaints received by the Rhineland-Palatinate commissioner, one petition raised concerns about the police response to a suspected amok incident at a school, where officers were accused of using excessive force.
- A group of police officers in Rhineland-Palatinate reported issues related to transfers, regulations on aid, and superiors through direct contact with the commissioner, citing fear of repercussions for reaching out through official channels.
- In the 2022/23 activity report, inactivity was identified as one of the reasons for inadmissible submissions, highlighting the importance of providing clear and detailed input to the Rhineland-Palatinate commissioner's office for proper consideration.
Source: www.stern.de
