The newly elected state chairman of the German Police Union (GdP), Patrick Schlüter, has advocated for a return to a system allowing officers greater discretion in resolving minor offenses through mediation.
In an interview with the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Schlüter recalled a time when, as a young officer, he could directly refer conflicting parties to a mediation service – a process often resolving issues without the need for formal charges. He noted that many disputes de-escalated once immediate emotions subsided or the parties realized the issue wasn’t worth the associated mediation costs.
Currently, the decision regarding out-of-court mediation rests with the public prosecutor’s office. Consequently, North Rhine-Westphalia police are generally required to file a report whenever a reasonable suspicion of a crime arises. Schlüter argues that reinstating the former regulation, which didn’t mandate a report in all cases, would significantly alleviate the burden on police resources.
Furthermore, the GdP chairman called for a streamlining of the reporting process itself. He observed that, despite increasing digitalization, the paperwork involved has become progressively more complex. Officers are now required to document, identify and eliminate a wide range of possibilities when filing a report. “We need to become significantly simpler and faster” Schlüter stated, adding that the statistical measurement of crime should not be mistaken for actual crime prevention, but may in fact hinder it.
