- La violencia contra los trabajadores de emergencia sigue siendo alta
Funcionarios de aplicación de la ley continúan siendo víctimas frecuentes de violencia en Baja Sajonia. El año pasado hubo 4.467 incidentes, uno más que el año anterior, según informó el Ministerio del Interior en Hanóver. Este número ha aumentado significativamente en los últimos años. Por ejemplo, en 2018 hubo alrededor de 3.200 incidentes de violencia. Esto significa que se registraron promedamente unos doce incidentes al día el año pasado. La ministra del Interior, Daniela Behrens (SPD), habló de un fenómeno nacional en aumento.
En 2023, se registraron un total de 10.430 víctimas en todo el estado, alrededor de 300 más que en 2022. Sin embargo, fewer law enforcement officers were injured in these incidents. In 2023, there were 1,628, compared to 1,661 the previous year.
Hombres fueron sospechosos significativamente más a menudo
Sospechosos: Alrededor del 85 por ciento de los sospechosos el año pasado eran hombres, y alrededor del 70 por ciento eran de nacionalidad alemana. Se estableció la intoxicación por alcohol en más de la mitad de los sospechosos. La ministra Behrens dijo: "Son hombres alemanes adultos que están borrachos y atacan a personas uniformadas. Es tan simple como eso". La ministra también dijo: "Las víctimas no se preocupan por quien las ataca. No es mejor si es alemán que si no es alemán".
Recientemente, ha habido discusiones sobre si la nacionalidad de los sospechosos debería mencionarse generalmente en los informes de los medios. Renania del Norte-Westfalia quiere dar un paso al respecto, citando una mayor transparencia. Baja Sajonia, sin embargo, no planea hacerlo. El enfoque anterior de mencionar la nacionalidad solo en casos excepcionales ha demostrado ser efectivo, dijo el Ministerio del Interior hace unos días.
Policial: El número de incidentes de violencia contra policías remained almost identical at 4,245 compared to 2022. The number of victims increased by more than 300 to over 10,000 last year. 1,539 officers were injured, slightly fewer than the previous year. Here, too, there has often been an increasing trend in recent years.
In 2018, the number of injured police officers was just over 1,100. Kevin Komolka, chairman of the Police Union (GdP), said: "The fact that the number of offenses against police employees has stagnated last year is no real consolation given the high number of over 10,000 victims. We must not be satisfied with this and must remain active in various areas."
Bomberos: Después de un pico en 2022 (54), el número de incidentes disminuyó a 39 el año pasado. Twelve personnel were injured, the same number as the previous year. According to the ministry, the incidents were mainly cases of physical assault and hooliganism.
Other rescue services: The number of incidents increased to 231 from 213 the previous year. 77 were injured, fewer than in 2022 (92).
Ministro: Los ataques son absolutamente inaceptables
Behrens thanked the police, fire department, and rescue services for their work. "That's why it's absolutely unacceptable to attack these people while they are performing their important duties, whether verbally or with physical violence, while they are working to ensure the safety and well-being of citizens."
The problem of attacks cannot be solved solely through police or state measures, said the Minister. It requires a societal recognition of this behavior, emphasized Behrens.
She also pointed to the measures taken in recent years to improve protection, such as the widespread introduction of body cameras. Body cameras are video cameras worn on the body and activated, for example, during confrontations. Recordings can then help identify perpetrators more easily.
More members in voluntary fire departments
Behrens presented another annual report today, focusing on voluntary fire departments in the country. They once again recorded an increase in members. By the end of 2023, there were 131,844 men and women engaged in voluntary service - an increase of 1,262 compared to the previous year. The number has been increasing annually since 2019.
Two-thirds of the new volunteers last year were women, according to State Fire Director Dieter Rohrberg. Their share of the deployment forces increased to 14.6 percent. Last year, fire departments in Lower Saxony were called out to around 125,500 incidents, about 2,100 more than in 2022.
The positive trend in membership numbers also continued in the youth fire departments. According to the ministry, there were a total of around 51,500 girls and boys active last year, an increase of over 4,100 compared to the previous year.
Ministro: Las personas pueden confiar en la protección contra desastres
The fire and disaster protection in the country was heavily challenged in recent times, for example during the New Year's flood. Behrens thanked the forces for their efforts. "It's a good feeling to know that people in Lower Saxony can always rely on a functioning disaster protection," said the Minister. The helpers are to be honored with a medal of honor for their service.
Fire departments are called for various reasons, not just for fire incidents, but also for help with storm damage or accidents. State Fire Director Rohrberg expressed concern about the continued high number of malicious alarms. There were 647 such cases last year, roughly the same level as in 2022.
Firefighting crews occasionally face challenges during their duties. Last year, there were 39 incidents involving firefighters in Lower Saxony, resulting in twelve injuries. Interior Minister Behrens addressed the issue, stating, "It's unacceptable to attack firefighters while they are performing their important duties, whether verbally or with physical violence."
