Man urinates in front of the police station and attacks officers in the anteroom

Man urinates in front of the police station and attacks officers in the anteroom

An incident on Wednesday morning caused a stir in Teltow. A 20-year-old man was observed by police officers committing an unsavory offense: he urinated on a lawn where a kindergarten group happened to be. This action should not go unpunished, and so the man was taken to the nearby police station to verify his identity, as cityreport.pnr24-online.de reports.

But the incident took an unexpected turn. In the anteroom of the station, the man suddenly threw a plastic bottle at one of the officers, who was able to avoid the attack without being injured. A physical altercation ensued during which the suspect was brought to the ground and restrained. He sustained minor injuries, which were assessed by an emergency doctor who was called to the scene. Eventually the young man calmed down and was released from police custody. Criminal proceedings were initiated against him for assaulting law enforcement officers.

Another example of violence against emergency services

A similar situation occurred recently when a woman (49) attacked rescue workers in an emotional state of emergency. She interfered with supporting her partner with acute mental health problems, who received help from the police and emergency doctor. Instead of ensuring peace, the woman attacked a police officer with a key, stabbed him and thereby questioned the safety of the emergency services, as polizeibericht-brandenburg.de states.

After the attack, which thank God did not result in any significant injuries to the officer, the woman was brought to the ground with simple physical force and restrained with handcuffs. Meanwhile, she continued to insult the police officers and bit a female officer on the hand, which resulted in a minor injury and incapacity for the officer. A breath alcohol test showed over 1.5 per mille, and the woman was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Focus on violence against police officers

The incidents highlight an increasingly urgent problem: violence against police officers. This topic is not new in Germany and is discussed a lot. That's all well and good, but what about protecting officers? The fact that police work is often associated with increased risk is also shown in the police crime statistics (PKS), which recorded 38,109 acts of violence against officers in 2018. Many attacks occur in dynamic situations and are usually characterized by known factors, such as the age structure of the perpetrators - often male and young - as well as a poor willingness to report due to questionable prospects of success in investigations, as bpb.de explains.

With this issue in mind, it is particularly important to rethink the framework for police work and to raise awareness of the risks in the service. It remains to be seen what measures will be taken to improve the safety of officers and reduce the use of force.