Overview
- The GdP says mounting psychological burdens on officers are creating a security problem and has escalated its warning publicly on February 10.
- Drawing on the DGB’s 2020–2025 ‘Index Gute Arbeit,’ police reported far higher exposure to conflicts (50% vs 14%), insults (18% vs 10%), and emotional suppression (55% vs 26%) than other workers, based on 36,598 respondents including 296 police.
- The union links the strain to policy-driven tasks, pointing to intensified border controls and new directives from the federal government and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.
- Rising long-term absences over 12 weeks indicate a system under stress, with the GdP cautioning that healthy staff can no longer reliably cover for those out sick.
- The GdP demands at least 20,000 additional officers, improved psychological care and training, more resources, and a special fund for internal security, with no government commitment reported.