Crime: Many attacks on public sector workers

crime
Many attacks on public sector workers

A significant proportion of public sector employees have experienced violence, insults or threats at work. This is shown by the results of two surveys conducted by the German Research Institute for Public Administration on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

Employees from areas in which there is a relatively large amount of contact with citizens were interviewed; the police were not included. An average of 23 percent of those surveyed stated that they had already had such experiences. Men were therefore affected somewhat more often by verbal or physical violence than women.

According to the information, one third or more employees of the fire brigade and rescue services, in the veterinary office, in the regulatory office and in the penal system have experienced violence, threats or insults within a year. According to the study, less than ten percent of employees in universities, social and labor administration and the judiciary had such negative experiences.

Just under a third of the cases reported

Only around 30 percent of the violent attacks experienced were reported to superiors or other bodies – “the number of unreported cases was 70 percent,” according to a summary of the study. Many employees stated that they had shied away from the bureaucratic effort. 56 percent of those affected said they had not reported the incident because they did not expect it to change the situation. Eleven percent said they had done nothing because they feared negative consequences.

“We have to do more to protect the people who keep our country running every day – whether in office or as a rescuer in need,” said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), who was shocked by the results of the study . She appealed to employees to “take every attack seriously, report it and report it”. Her ministry wants to work together with the trade unions to improve the prevention of violence and better protection for employees.

number of attacks increased

If you compare the results of the surveys in 2019 with the results of the second survey between the beginning of October 2020 and the end of September 2021, it shows that public sector employees – with the exception of universities and the municipal social and employment administration – during the pandemic as a whole have experienced violence more often. The researchers observed an increase, according to the information, especially in the citizen offices, with bailiffs, the judiciary and against employees of the regulatory office. The latter were at times very busy enforcing government anti-corona measures.

So-called de-escalation and communication training was rated comparatively poorly by the employees as a preventive measure. The cost-benefit ratio of training courses on self-protection is rated more positively. Alarm systems are used in five of the eight employment areas considered. They are therefore used almost everywhere in prisons, and also very frequently in labor and social administration (79 percent).

sleep disorders and depression

More than 10,600 people took part in the survey, although the researchers suspect that most likely a disproportionately large number of employees who were themselves victims of violence answered the questions. According to the information, 44 percent of the employees who have experienced such attacks reported that they now had an uneasy feeling at work as a result. One in four of those affected suffered from psychological problems such as sleep disorders, depressive moods or depression.

37 percent of employees who were victims or witnesses of violence rated the support they received from the relevant authority or department as poor or very poor. Just as many of those affected expressed ambivalence. The support was rated good or very good by 28 percent of the victims or witnesses.

dpa