Violence against police officers – decline in solidarity

***UPDATE*** Gewalt gegen Polizisten – Rückgang der Solidarität

An increase of about 25% in the last four years. A frighteningly high propensity to violence in German society. A significantly higher use of knives and firearms.

Attacks against police officers have increased significantly and continue to rise. Germany, what is wrong with your society? How can it be that people who simply want to help, who want to improve and enrich our society, become victims of arbitrary and brutal violence again and again and more and more frequently?

The German Criminal Code, §114 “Assault on Law Enforcement Officials,” paragraph 1: “Whoever assaults an officer or soldier of the German Armed Forces, who is called upon to enforce laws, legal decrees, judgments, court orders or decrees, in the course of an official act, shall be punished with imprisonment from three months to five years.”¹

On New Year’s Eve 2019/2020, there were attacks on police officers across Germany with an alarmingly high propensity for violence and brutality.

Example: Leipzig, Connewitz (Germany): A policeman was seriously injured during riots with left-wing radicals, an emergency surgery saved his life!

Shortly after midnight, police and left-wing autonomists clashed, the left-wing radicals attacked with firecrackers, rockets and bottles and attacked the police officers seemingly out of nowhere. Several police officers were hospitalized with serious injuries.

This was not an isolated incident…Meanwhile, police nationwide report up to 32 attacks on police officers daily(!!!). That is, as already mentioned, an increase of 25% in the last four years, knife and firearm attacks have increased particularly.

For a long time, this violence was merely dismissed as an “occupational hazard” and pushed aside; only in recent years have politicians begun to react seriously and do something about it.

The German people criticize the police for being too far away from the citizens, for distancing themselves. What choice do they have if they have to be afraid of being attacked by passers-by every time they go out on the street?

“If you have to fear for your own health as a doctor, nurse or firefighter just because you’re trying to help, then something is going tremendously wrong”² (Emergency doctor from Bavaria, Germany)

The increased propensity for violence among the population is causing the police to distance themselves from the citizens. They, too, must protect themselves, but at the same time enforce the law. With many attackers, thinking simply stops, suspects a police officer³.

Another trigger is the fact that criticism of the police and the state is spread incredibly quickly via social media, which means that behavior in line with standards has become less and less valuable in recent years. People can quickly spread their anger and hatred against authorities and law enforcement officers anonymously, which lowers the fear threshold.

The police officers just want to help, as do all the other rescue workers. They risk their lives again and again so that we can move forward as a society. And what is the thanks they get? Knife attacks, insults, hate!

Documentation from the editorial office, for after tracking all sources:

1https://dejure.org/gesetze/StGB/114.html

2https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/gewalt-gegen-rettungskraefte-das-sagen-die-zahlen,RFEiEx2

3https://www.polizei-dein-partner.de/themen/gewalt/gesellschaft/detailansicht-gesellschaft/artikel/gewalt-gegen-polizisten.html