- The Socialist faction advocates for decreasing the responsibilities of law enforcement officers.
In the region of Schleswig-Holstein, heavy goods transportation often requires police escorts from one point to another. The SPD faction is advocating for relief for police officers by having these transports escorted by private firms instead in the future. According to Niclas Dürbrook, the SPD's interior policy spokesman, this would allow the police to be deployed elsewhere where they're needed more urgently.
Furthermore, the frequency of heavy goods transports and the strain caused by the energy transition are expected to increase. Dürbrook criticized the current black-green state government for not implementing a solution, as the Bundesrat had previously given states the permission to create their own regulations.
In response to Dürbrook's query, the state government confirmed that they had yet to take advantage of this opportunity. Instead, they are conducting discussions with both federal and state governments to handle the escorting of heavy goods transports, and they also have a working group.
Additionally, the response indicated that police officers spent over 37,000 hours on escorting duties in the previous year. So far, 13,209 hours have been spent during the first half of 2024. "This number is way too high," said Dürbrook emphasizing his concern.
The SPD faction proposed that the following shall be added: having private firms take over the escorting duties for heavy goods transports in Schleswig-Holstein to alleviate the workload on police officers. Despite the Bundesrat permitting states to create their own regulations, the current black-green state government has yet to implement a solution.
