Germany’s police union, GdP, has raised concerns regarding the deteriorating condition of police stations and vehicles across the country, calling for substantial investment to address widespread infrastructural issues. According to Hagen Husgen, a federal executive board member of the GdP, many stations are plagued by significant disrepair, including outdated facilities, mold, pest infestations, broken heating systems and leaking roofs, creating potentially hazardous working conditions for officers.
Husgen asserts that planned increased investment by the federal government, including allocations for the federal police, will fall far short of addressing the scale of the problem. He estimates the backlog in police real estate investment alone is in the double-digit billions of euros.
Beyond facilities, the GdP highlights deficiencies in the police vehicle fleet. Husgen described vehicles with significant wear and tear, including damaged interiors and high mileage, as damaging to public perception. He linked this situation, in part, to the increasing privatization of support services such as vehicle maintenance and digitalization.
The union representative is advocating for increased federal support to address these shortcomings, suggesting a re-evaluation of federalism in certain areas like digitalization to ensure a consistently functioning national police force. While acknowledging the importance of federal structures in some contexts, Husgen argues that a more centralized approach is necessary to resolve critical infrastructure issues and maintain public trust in the police.
