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80,000 German emergency workers attacked on duty — survey

September 16, 2023

A German newspaper group found that North Rhine-Westphalia, the country's most populous state, saw the most violence against first responders. Experts believe the real number of victims is higher.

https://p.dw.com/p/4WPoh
Armed and masked police escort a man in front of a building in Berlin's Neukoelln district during raids against organized clan criminality on February 18, 2021 in the German capital.
Some 76,000 policemen and women were attacked while on duty last year, a recent survey suggestsImage: Odd Andersen/AFP

Some 80,000 German emergency personnel were subjected to violence while on duty during the past year, a new survey revealed on Saturday.

The Hannover-based RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) regional newspaper group looked at figures from the country's 16 federal states. It showed that some 76,000 police officers, 1,000 firefighters and 2,100 rescue workers were attacked while on duty.

Experts suggest that the real number is higher, with many workers opting not to report the attacks they face.

What do the numbers say?

The survey suggests that the biggest number of violent incidents reported against emergency personnel was in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state. Over 20,000 police officers were registered there as victims.

Some 795 police officers, 31 firefighters and 64 other rescue workers meanwhile sustained serious or dangerous bodily injury.

The state of Bavaria also ranked high, with 19,057 cases reported. They included 4,532 police officers who were victims of resistance, 5,364 of insult, and 6,502 of physical assault.

The figure is concerning, given that the number of police officers in the state was 34,204 in 2022. This means that over half of them were assaulted while on duty.

Violence against German police officers is rising

Fredericke Leuschner, an expert at the Centre for Criminology, a federal and state research institution, commented to the RND on what could be done to decrease these figures.

"Harsher punishments do not make sense because their deterrent effect is questionable," said Leuschner. "These perpetrators are very often under the influence of alcohol and drugs or have mental illnesses."

Instead, there are calls to protect emergency forces against such cases in the first place.

rmt/mm (epd, RND)