It’s about abuse of power and sexual harassment by the police. The Ombudsman is actually the point of contact for employees. But she sees too little support from the Ministry of the Interior on the subject.
Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) – Ombudsman Beate Böhlen has denounced a lack of cooperation between the Ministry of the Interior and the police in clarifying cases of sexual harassment or abuse of power at the workplace. Böhlen told the German Press Agency in Stuttgart: “The state ombudsman is an independent body with its own law and responsibility for the state police.” It would be an important signal to refer to the ombudsman’s office in the event of corresponding abuses. She has the impression that the police leadership in the Ministry of the Interior has no real interest in identifying abuses within the police force.
The former Greens member of the state parliament has been Ombudsman since the end of 2019. “Our impression is that we often serve as a fig leaf, but ultimately there is no real cooperation.” The police leadership and the Ministry of the Interior have not yet understood that anyone who wants to get to the root of the problem must also be able to let go.
The background to the statements are the events surrounding the suspended highest-ranking police officer in the country. Charges were recently brought against him. He is charged with a crime of sexual assault. According to dpa information, the inspector is said to have harassed a chief inspector in a video chat with his ideas about sexual practices – in return for career advantages. The inspector vehemently denies the accusation.
Böhlen said: “The actions within the police leadership is structurally conservative.” Last year, a total of 120 people from the citizenry and the police or their environment contacted the ombudsman. “More and more women are contacting us who have been affected by sexual harassment. However, the events sometimes date back ten to 20 years.” Men were more likely to provide information about abuse of power.
Böhlen did not describe specific individual cases with reference to confidentiality. “Sexual assaults are often trivialized,” she complained. There are also submissions from people who feel mistreated by the police. “It’s about racism and discrimination, for example.” The Ombudsman’s office could try to clarify the facts. “Police, administration and other authorities usually have to provide information. Absolute confidentiality is guaranteed.”
According to earlier information from the Ministry of the Interior, there have been 230 complaints about sexual harassment at work to the authorities and offices of the state administration in the past three years, 76 of them by superiors. Criminal proceedings were initiated in 58 cases. Of these, 23 were hired. One ended with a conviction. The remaining procedures are not yet complete. In addition, disciplinary proceedings were initiated in 55 cases. The disciplinary consequences of this included two reprimands, six fines, four cuts in salary and one removal from the civil service.
