Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The Greens parliamentary group leader in the state parliament wants to promote the appointment of an independent police officer. “For us Greens, this is an important project,” said parliamentary group leader Verena Schäffer of the German Press Agency. The police officer should be accessible to citizens and police officers. “I am convinced that this position will further strengthen confidence in the police,” said Schäffer. This was “very important,” she emphasized, especially after the case of the youth who was shot by the police in Dortmund.
“It is tragic and terrible that the 16-year-old died during the operation. A lot of trust in the police was lost.” A police officer can ensure trust. “But it is also clear that a police officer does not replace the public prosecutor’s office.”
The CDU and the Greens had laid down the establishment of an independent police commissioner in the state parliament in their coalition agreement. “We stand for a healthy error culture in order to strengthen the police in North Rhine-Westphalia in this regard,” it says. With the establishment of the office, the Greens had prevailed.
Prosecutors have charged five police officers involved in the August 2022 operation. She sees no evidence that the 16-year-old had previously posed a threat to the officers with his knife.
The police were called to a youth welfare facility on August 8, 2022, where the young refugee from Senegal is said to have initially threatened to kill himself with a knife. Before the fatal shots were fired, the 16-year-old was pepper sprayed by police and shot at with a taser. One of the central questions was whether the youth with the knife had moved towards the officers.
