To police affairs - Value Representative: Police seek more backing
From the perspective of the Value Commissioner of the Baden-Württemberg Interior Administration, Jörg Krauss, the police and other authorities have a need to catch up in terms of leadership culture. Conversations with female and male employees have revealed that there is a fear of making mistakes in daily work because these are constantly equated with failures by colleagues and superiors, according to the report of the Commissioner. "This would foster a culture of fear that neither encourages new approaches nor questions established procedures," the paper states.
Moreover, many interlocutors have requested more intensive "backing" from the management level. "In some cases, the feeling of being left alone was present," writes Krauss in his report. In cases of difficulties, it is unclear whether one will receive support from the leadership.
Consequences of the Police Affair for the Office of the Value Commissioner
Thomas Strobl (CDU) appointed Krauss, the former head of the Finance Ministry, as Value Commissioner of the Interior Administration last summer. The position did not exist before.
Strobl established the position as a consequence of the affair surrounding the Inspector of Police. The highest-ranking police official in the state had to answer for allegations of sexual coercion before the Stuttgart Regional Court last year and was acquitted.
The affair also led to an investigative committee in the state parliament. The focus is on the promotion practice in the police and the question of how the currently suspended Inspector of Police was able to reach his high position.
- In his report, Thomas Strobl, the newly appointed Value Commissioner for the Interior Administration in Baden-Württemberg, emphasized the need for the police and other authorities to improve their leadership culture, especially in addressing fears of making mistakes within the Internal Security administration.
- The Internal Security administration in Baden-Württemberg has been urged by several interlocutors to provide more robust "backing" from the management level, as some employees feel undermined and uncertain about receiving support in times of difficulty.
- As a part of the internal administration, the police department in Baden-Württemberg is now under increased scrutiny, with the state parliament's investigative committee focusing on the promotion practices and the circumstances that allowed the suspended Inspector of Police to ascend to such a high position in the Internal Security structure.
