Schwerin (dpa / mv) – According to Interior Minister Christian level (SPD), the police in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will be better armed against right-wing extremist activities within their units in the future. In many places, consequences were drawn from the misconduct of individual officers from the special task force (SEK), which became known in 2019, and structural changes were made. The process was “partly very painful”, but also necessary, saidleve on Thursday in Schwerin. He had previously informed the state parliament’s internal affairs committee about the implementation of the reform proposals made by a commission of experts set up by the ministry.

The greater part of the work has been done, according toEL. The SEK management group – as warned by the experts – was relieved of administrative tasks and increased in terms of personnel. During the selection process for police forces and their deployment, the basic personal attitude and active commitment to democracy are checked more closely and the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is routinely questioned.

The trigger for the comprehensive reform efforts was the uncovering of racist and sometimes right-wing extremist attitudes among members of the SEK, which they revealed in internet chats. During a raid in June 2019, a submachine gun and more than 30,000 rounds of ammunition were found on a former SEK member with contacts in the radical prepper scene. The man has since been sentenced to a suspended sentence for violating the War Weapons Control Act.

According to the level, as a result of the incidents in the entire state police, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against 18 officers due to a possible violation of the political duty of loyalty. Nine of these concerned employees of the SEK, two of whom had left the police service or been removed from the civil service.