Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann opens Police Day focussing on “Violence against police officers”:
More and more attacks – increased protection measures
+++ Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann warns of increasing violence against police officers. At the opening of the ‘Police Day’ in Munich, a series of events organised by Behörden Spiegel in cooperation with the Police Union (GdP), Herrmann explained that the inhibition threshold for attacking police officers has been falling for several years. With 2,967 police officers injured in Bavaria in 2022, including 22 serious injuries, a new sad record has been set since the 2010 situation reports were compiled. Herrmann does not expect the situation to ease in 2023, on the contrary: “Initial trends show that we will unfortunately have to lament a further increase in violence against police officers and other emergency services in Bavaria this year.” +++
The Minister of the Interior condemned the increasing violence in the strongest possible terms: “We will never allow those who ensure the safety of all of us to be turned into ‘whipping boys’.” Mr Herrmann called for a minimum level of respect for all emergency services. Such attacks are not only physically hurtful, but also deeply demoralising for those who do their best to help others. “We must do our best to protect those who put their necks on the line for our safety every day,” emphasised Herrmann. “That’s why we consistently prosecute violence against emergency services.” It is therefore absolutely right and necessary that the minimum sentence for assaulting police officers has been raised to three months’ imprisonment. In addition, police officers affected by assaults can assign irrecoverable legally established claims for damages for pain and suffering of 500 euros or more to their employer. The employer then pays in advance.
The Minister of the Interior referred to a wide range of support programmes to provide police officers with increased protection and support. The police medical service, the central psychological service, the police social service and the police chaplains are available around the clock in the ‘internal police network’. Intensive basic and advanced training is also very important, for example regular operational training with state-of-the-art training equipment. In addition, the Free State has invested more than 120 million euros in recent years in equipping the Bavarian police forces and thus also in their protection. This includes ballistic protective equipment, batons and new service weapons. In addition, the Bavarian police currently have more than 1,800 body cams in use. In addition, all closed operational units of the state police and all platoons of the support commandos in Bavaria are equipped with distance electro-pulse devices. “The new state-of-the-art blue uniform, together with the protective and recognisable waistcoat, also improves self-protection,” added Herrmann.
The Minister of the Interior also described it as very important that the Bavarian police force is well staffed. “We have created 8,000 additional jobs for the Bavarian police between 2008 and 2023,” said Herrmann. “This enormous increase in jobs is unique in Germany!” With more than 45,000 jobs for all employees, the Bavarian police force has reached a new record high this year. Mr Herrmann referred to the new coalition agreement between the CSU and the Free Voters, according to which it was agreed to increase the Bavarian police force, including the border police, by a further 2,000 to more than 47,000 posts by 2028.
