Two policewomen run away from a shootout instead of helping colleagues. A district court condemns them. How do police students learn to suppress their instinct to flee in dangerous situations?
One night in May 2020, two policewomen stopped their van on a country road near Gevelsberg. They want to come to the aid of two colleagues who are arresting a drug dealer who is wanted on an arrest warrant. When they get out, the dealer starts shooting. The two women are scared to death, they run away, even ordering the driver of a passing small car to take them away. On November 16, the policewomen were sentenced to one year imprisonment on probation for “attempted dangerous bodily harm in office by failure to do so”. If the verdict becomes final, both of them will lose their jobs. Police instructor Gerhard Wolf does not want to comment on the details of this case because of the ongoing proceedings. The deputy head of the training department of the State Office for Training, Further Education and Personnel Matters of the North Rhine-Westphalia Police explains how police officers train to remain calm despite fear of death.