According to the report, 400 state police officers are suspected of extremism

Up to 400 state police officers are suspected of right-wing extremism. This was the result of the query for a media report. The responsible federal commissioner, Grötsch, calls the danger greater than ever.

According to a media report, disciplinary proceedings or investigations are currently being conducted against around 400 police officers in the federal states on suspicion of right-wing extremist views and/or representing conspiracy ideologies. This is reported by “Stern” and RTL, citing a query in the 16 interior ministries of the federal states.

The actual number is likely to be higher, as four federal states, Berlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Bremen and Thuringia, were unable to provide current figures, as it was said.

The federal police commissioner at the German Bundestag, Uli Grötsch, said: “We live in times in which right-wing extremists are deliberately trying to destabilize the police.” The danger is greater than ever before. “For the whole country. And therefore also for the police.”

“Great danger to democracy”

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister, Herbert Reul, said: “Police officers who do not stand on the basis of the constitution but instead pursue extremist views are a great danger to democracy and the rule of law.” He doesn’t want these people in the police.

Investigations into possible extremists in the ranks of federal and state security authorities have been ongoing for years. The Federal Ministry of the Interior had already published a situation report on this in 2022. At that time it became known that 327 employees had come to attention within three years because of demonstrable connections to right-wing extremism or the Reich Citizens scene.

Another report, including on the political attitudes of police officers, was published in 2023 – after allegations of racism against the police. Managers and law enforcement officers were also confronted with these in the study. A common reaction from those surveyed was to refer to “unfortunate individual cases”.