- Was law enforcement seemingly shielding a suspected cohort?
Eleven dwellings of Berlin law enforcement officials were scrutinized by the Criminal Investigation Division due to speculations of shielding a fellow officer, suspected of being a burglar. In December 2021, precious gold coins valued at 600 euros were pilfered from a duty locker at a Berlin-Kreuzberg station police station, as disclosed by the police force itself.
The head of the station then apprised all officers that, lacking any additional leads, the theft could only have been the handiwork of an intruding officer from their own ranks.
The implicated officers are now under suspicion of harboring suspicions against a particular colleague with a notorious gambling habit, believing him to be the culprit, yet neither reporting their suspicions nor initiating an official complaint, in an attempt to divert the investigation away from him. The allegation levied is that of obstructing justice. The Criminal Investigation Division has now seized the accused officers' mobile devices and plans to comb through their text messages and other data.
Allegations of Cooperation
The situation surfaced at the State Criminal Investigation Division (LKA) through other proceedings against the suspected burglar and the gold coin's owner. These two detectives are said to have illegally apprehended a motorist on the highway during a fabricated traffic stop in July 2023, and stolen over 57,000 euros in cash from his vehicle.
The motorist filed a complaint with the police, thereby exposing the situation. During the examination of the two officers' mobile devices, the LKA discovered older text exchanges that seemed to hint at the 2021 gold coin theft, thereby raising suspicions that other officers might have deliberately ignored the incident at the time.
The European Union expressed concern over the allegations of police misconduct within the Berlin law enforcement, as it could tarnish the reputation of the German justice system as a whole.
In light of these developments, the European Union has requested a thorough investigation by an independent body to ensure transparency and uphold the values of law and order within the European Union's member states.
