Steinmeier warns against extremism in German police
November 26, 2018
Speaking at a conference of a German police trade union, Steinmeier said there should be no tolerance for extremism in the police force. He also criticized job cuts that had been affecting security agencies.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. von Jutrczenka
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Germany' President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned against the risk of extremism within the police force.
Speaking at the opening of the 26th conference of the GdP police officers' trade union in Berlin, Steinmeier said police who display "mistrust in liberal democracy" or who set up networks that "argue against democratic institutions and their leaders" should never be accepted.
"Extremism in the police ranks must not exist and must not be tolerated," Steinmeier said on Monday. The police force must instead "stand up for democracy," he told the audience.
Job cuts a 'mistake'
Germany's president also criticized the job cuts that have affected the security agencies over the last few years, and welcomed the request coming from the police ranks for an improved level of staffing.
Steinmeier told the audience it was a mistake to reduce the security forces' personnel with the aim of achieving a more "slender state." This reduction in police presence had damaged the reputation of Germany's police, Steinmeier said.
He said that for too long, the national and state governments in Germany had ignored the importance of a visible police presence — and for many people, that means "foot patrols in their own neighborhood."
GSG 9: Germany's elite anti-terror squad
Germany is planning to expand its elite GSG9 police unit in view of the continuing terrorist threat. The group has a distinguished history going back more than four decades.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Hannibal
Ready to cope with extreme situations
The GSG9, which stands for Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (Border Protection Group 9), was set up in 1972 after regular German police failed to rescue Israeli hostages kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics. Its formation was controversial, with some politicians in Germany feeling the group was reminiscent of the notorious Nazi SS.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Hannibal
Establishing a top reputation
The GSG9's very first mission, called "Operation Fire Magic," established its high reputation. After Palestinian terrorists hijacked a Lufthansa plane in 1977, the GSG 9 managed to rescue passengers in a seven-minute operation in Mogadishu. A GSG 9 member and a flight attendant were injured, while three of four hijackers were killed. Sadly, the pilot was killed before the operation took place.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/dpaweb
Reward for a mission accomplished
Ulrich Wegener, who was a founding member of GSG 9, received an Order of Merit from the German government after the successful mission. Wegener, who became known as the "Hero of Mogadishu," died on December 28, 2017, at the age of 88. He was always uncomfortable with his popular title, saying recently: "We did the work together."
Image: imago/Sven Simon
Deployed at sea ...
The GSG 9 goes into action in hostage situations, in cases of terrorism and to undertake bomb disposal. But it is also deployed to secure locations, as here ahead of the 2007 G8 summit in the northern resort town of Heiligendamm.
Image: Getty Images/A. Hassenstein
... and on land
Most of the GSG 9's missions are confidential, but it is said to have participated in more than 1,900 operations since being founded. It is currently based in the western town of Sankt Augustin, near Germany's former capital, Bonn.
Image: picture-alliance/U. Baumgarten
Always in training
The GSG 9 members undergo rigorous training for all eventualities. Here, they practice dealing with an attack by armed terrorists on a railway station. Plans are now underway to expand the unit by a third and give it another headquarters in the capital, Berlin. Although the number of members is kept a secret, media currently put it at around 400.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/J. Carstensen
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But the problem, according to Steinmeier, doesn't only lie with the police. A lack for resources for courts and public prosecutors has also had a lasting effect on German security.
Specifically, authorities failed to realize that it has been extremely hard to keep organized crime at bay with chronically understaffed courts.
"Especially if we want to preserve an open-border Europe, we need well-equipped and professional police forces, public prosecutors and courts," Steinmeier said.
