Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – The State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior, Wilfried Klenk, does not consider the creation of further contact points in the fight against sexual harassment to be absolutely necessary. There are already nine different contact points that you can turn to in specific cases, said the CDU politician on Monday when he was questioned by the committee of inquiry into the so-called police affair. “Now the question is whether it’s better if we create a tenth, eleventh or twelfth position,” said Klenk. Or shouldn’t one rather make some corrections to the structures “so that those affected can also use these positions?” Klenk also said that a service agreement on the subject was on the way.
The committee deals with sexual harassment in state authorities, with the police’s promotion practices and with the passing on of a lawyer’s letter by Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU). Klenk was unable to provide any information on many of the MPs’ questions.
A police inspector who has since been suspended is said to have sexually harassed a police officer in Stuttgart a year ago. The public prosecutor’s office in Stuttgart recently brought charges against him for sexual assault. Strobl had passed on a letter from the inspector’s lawyer to a journalist – and was therefore also under pressure. However, the investigations against the minister were dropped against payment of a fine of 15,000 euros. Klenk indicated that he personally would not have accepted such an offer from the public prosecutor’s office: “I myself might have said: I won’t accept it, accuse me.” Nevertheless, he understands Strobl’s decision in view of the possible consequences for a member of the government.
With reference to the inspector, he had heard nothing negative about police work, said Klenk. “Only praise from all sides.”
