From Surveyor to Servant: The Democratisation of the Police (With Reference to the Brandenburg Police, Germany)

Chapter 3 - Current Issues, Problems and Successes of the Brandenburg Police

One of the key issues in the Brandenburg police today is the state of police equipment. After the Wende it was of course necessary to modernize the equipment in use in all the new Bundesländer; in particular police vehicles and communications equipment, which were inadequate for the type of work demanded of the police nowadays. This modernization is an ongoing process and is set to continue for some time yet.

According to Alwin Ziel, the Interior Minister of Brandenburg, "Der zügige Fortgang der Ausstattung und Ausrüstung der Polizei hat oberste Priorität." Up until October 1991, approximately thirty two million German marks had already been made available for new communications equipment and several million more for new uniforms, additional radar and digital breathalyzer apparatus.

New police vehicles are high on the list of priorities. 1992 saw the start of a three year programme to replace the fleet of vehicles in use. The old vehicles which had been in use in the GDR were often unreliable and it was not unknown for a policeman to arrive one or even two hours late at the scene of a crime or accident, owing to his own car breaking down. The new vehicles are reliable, capable of high speeds and are fitted out with any necessary special equipment. The new basic protective equipment and clothing of the police consists mainly of a protective helmet with breathing mask, riot shield and protective clothing. The Bereitschaftspolizei. owing to the nature of its work, along with other special police units, has its own special needs. The Bund is responsible in this case for the supply of special vehicles and accoutrements, weapons, ammunition and any necessary replacement acquisitions.

The GdP is constantly pressing for a speedy modernization of police equipment. Communications equipment in particular is still a problem, although this should be sorted out by the end of June 1993. It would seem at least that the era of the police 'Trabant' is nearly at an end.

Current crime figures in Brandenburg are of major public concern. Estimated crime figures at the end of 1992 show a twenty five percent increase on those of 1991. The number of serious crimes in particular has increased and although these still make up only 0.1 percent of crimes, this has not prevented calls for a stronger police presence. Aside from crime figure comparison difficulties when collating figures of the GDR with present figures, a rise of approximately thirty percent can be said to have occurred between 1990 and March 1992.

The general state of crime in the GDR was less serious than it is today. Bank robberies were seldom, because the 'Spielgeld' had no particular great value; the drug trade was unknown and serious bodily injury or murder were also seldom. To some people, the rise in crime was inevitable after the Wende: it was the 'price of freedom' and was only to be expected with the apparent sudden importance of material wealth for the public, together with a more open and more honest approach by the police. This is of course true to a certain extent, following the change in economic and social conditions. The rate of crime solved at the beginning of 1992 in Brandenburg was a mere thirty seven percent, but current clear-up figures show a high rate of success in the solution of serious crimes, despite a growing professionalism on the part of criminals.

An area in which the police has had less success is in the solution of raids on banks and other credit institutions. Out of 150 such raids in 1991, only twenty six were solved: although the blame here can be said to lie largely at the feet of the victims in many cases, who appear to be slow or reluctant in taking on more security measures, as recommended by the police.

Despite the great increase in crime and in particular of organized crime in recent times, the great influx of narcotics expected after the reunification of Germany has not taken place in Brandenburg. Illegal gambling, cigarette and schnapps smuggling, prostitution, car theft and organized crime are the main areas of crime being tackled at present, with an apparently good rate of success in comparison with the other Länder.

One area in which Brandenburg does lag behind the other Bundesländer is in the number of road accidents in relation to the number of inhabitants. Irresponsibility, incredible carelessness and aggressive driving are usually the cause of accidents. As a result, in the first half of 1991 there were 423 fatalities and nearly 7000 serious injuries on the roads of Brandenburg. The blame cannot however be laid solely at the motorist's feet. A sudden increase in the number of cars on an old network of (often cobbled) roads, the ever increasing importance of Brandenburg as a transit Land into Poland, as well as altered traffic conditions and regulations are also responsible for the increase in accidents. The police is in any case now on the offensive and has declared war on 'road hogs'.

Die gegenwärtigen Probleme in der öffentlichen Ordnung und Sicherheit sind unübersehbar.

This frank statement about the state of internal security originates from the PDS. It reflects a growing point of concern from the public's point of view in Brandenburg, which ranks the guarantee of internal security as a top priority. A widely held view, however, is that this is not merely a matter for the police, but a task for the whole of society, at a time of increasing juvenile group violence against foreigners and increasing crime. Despite the determination to supply the police as soon as possible with new equipment, at the end of 1992, police in Forst were still using converted motorcycle helmets and GDR riot shields, which are made from non-transparent, weak plastic. Protective clothing and breathing masks, essential when utilizing tear gas in riot situations, were still unavailable.

At the time of writing, there are 9500 employees in the Brandenburg police force: 8000 Vollzugsbeamte and 1500 in administration. According to Dr. Andreas Bernig of the Brandenburg police, 1000 more are needed. in addition to the 300 needed to fill the 300 still unoccupied positions. A campaign has been launched to try to encourage middle-aged people to join the police. Dr. Bernig also believes that more police are needed to fight serious crime and that many bureaucratic procedures carried out by officers could be fulfilled by others. The GdP in Brandenburg demands a doubling in the number of Auszubildende by 1995. By contrast, Alex Lüdders, head of the Landeskriminalamt in Brandenburg, believes that more police will not solve the problem of rising crime, citing Berlin as an example, where crime is still on the increase, despite 33,000 armed officers.

A further ongoing problem is the wage difference of a policeman in the west and a colleague in the east. A Brandenburg policeman now earns seventy four percent the wage of a colleague in Nordrhein-Westfalen, but for the same work. In addition, this amount does not take into account price increases. An officer may receive a wage increase, but may still make a net loss owing to rent increases. This clearly causes many to think twice before starting a career in the police.

Here may be an appropriate place to further compare the old police system of the GDR with the new one in Brandenburg and question whether or not the old system had any advantages over the new one. The Neues Forum/Argus faction in Potsdam believes not, although they feel it is perhaps worth mentioning the lowest levels of the old structure, which provided certain housing benefits for officers. Dr. Bernig believes that policemen and women were not under as much pressure in the GDR, because the individual VoPo was not under as much stress as on officer today: there were more police and less serious crime. He states that political influence in police issues is no longer so obvious, although it still exists. In the GDR, there was a direct connection between the Volkspolizei and the SED. According to a newspaper article, many former VoPos would incorporate one thing from the GDR system: quick action against trouble-makers who attack police, the offenders receiving at least a six month sentence.

According to a former VoPo, now in the Brandenburg police, there were certain privileges enjoyed by the VoPos: they earned well, although not so much as members of the MfS did and they had plenty of holiday time given, in low-cost places. Advantages of the old system over the new one in his eyes were the ABV system, where the ABV knew exactly what was taking place in his area and had a close relationship with the public. It was not so difficult for an officer to obtain information when following up an investigation as it is today, as a result of data protection laws. The areas of responsibility in the Volkspolizei were strictly divided up and specialized. The VoPo did not spend hours writing reports: this task was handed over to so-called KvDs (Kriminalisten von Dienst). Crimes involving more than two offenders were dealt with by the Kripo. The officer enjoyed what he sees as the close relationship with the public and working with the Freiwillige Helfer der Volkspolizei. The 1st July was a pleasant day for the VoPo: this was the Tag der Volkspolizei, where an officer would receive greetings cards and best wishes from those members of the public who valued him.

The disadvantages of the old system. according to the former VoPo, were however as numerous as its advantages. A VoPo never had responsibilities in the same way as a police officer has today, but merely followed his superior's orders. It was impossible to climb the ranks in the force without first being a member of the SED. Many VoPos were likely to be disliked by certain members of the public: usually by those they had trouble from and many jokes about VoPos can still be heard today. Despite this, the ABV in particular was for many people a good friend, whom they could turn to with their problems.

With the Wende and the resulting changes in society came a great upsurge in extreme right-wing activity. Violent acts by such extremists and a seemingly inexcusable lack of action by the police against such action has brought criticism from all sides. Left-wing radicals believe that officers protect fascists and even liberal commentators are becoming more suspicious that state power has double standards, depending on whether dealing with extreme left-wing or extreme right-wing groups. Many say that the protection given to consulates, ministeries, airports and banks at the height of RAF activity should now be afforded to refuges housing foreign refugees. Björn Engholm of the SPD has demanded that the Bundesgrenzschutz be used for this purpose, without success. Others involved in politics, for example Otto Graf Lambsdorff of the F.D.P. and Rita Süssmuth, President of the Bundestag, have urged members of the public to help protect foreigners. Such calls have not fallen on deaf ears. It is a fact that the Republikaner have many supporters among police officers, but that such officers would be sympathetic to extremists, who often see the police as a target, is doubtful. According to Dr. Bernig, some officers may tend to the right owing to social conditions, but he maintains that for a true policeman, regardless of political influence, every crime is to be solved. The GdP has developed an education programme to tackle any problems of extremism in the police. A more likely explanation for the lack of police response in many cases is a simple incapability of doing this: a sad consequence of the shortage of equipment and officers.

In January 1993, I talked to a former VoPo, now working in the Brandenburg police in Potsdam. To hear about the changes in the police in Brandenburg 'from the horse's mouth' was valuable for the writing of this project.

From the officer's own experience, the fact that GDR law ceased to exist as such after 1989 brought many problems. Police action was paralyzed, because Federal law was still not fully in force and the justice system was also suffering, owing to vetting procedures of personnel in the system. How this affected the work of the police can be seen using the example of New Year's Eve 1990, when the officer took two suspects into custody for the theft of pyrotechnical equipment. The officer prepared his reports and filled out all the necessary forms, only to be disappointed by the release of the two perpetrators from custody, merely because they had no fixed abode. Two days later, the same two suspects were apprehended by the same policeman for repeated theft. Cooperation from the two was not forthcoming, because it was clear to them that they would be released from custody, because of the aforementioned problems in the justice system. The officer sees this as a sad part of police work during the period of change. He also finds the amount of time spent behind a desk by a policeman a frustrating element of policing nowadays.

According to the officer, a policeman in east Germany is three times more under pressure than a western colleague, owing to the unsuitable technology and the fact that he is trying to learn a whole new 'set of rules', usually in his own free time. Indeed, "Ein Schutzpolizist rennt heute noch mit dem Gesetz auf der Straße rum." The officer I talked to believes that a policeman in the east should accordingly be paid the same or even more than his western colleague. Despite these problems, he finds police work nowadays more interesting, because it is not so specialized as it was in the GDR. One can be confronted with anything at any time. He says that police officers love their job and that their work is much more fun nowadays, although the gunning-down of a policeman, a sad but real danger of police work nowadays, was unheard of in the GDR, showing the apparent increased risk in policing under the new system.

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