The German Police Union (DPolG) contends that neither the police nor the domestic intelligence services were negligent in the case of the attack on Berlin’s CSD. According to DPolG federal chairman Heiko Teggatz, the suspected attacker was known to the security authorities and was under observation. Teggatz stated that all legally permissible powers for danger prevention were employed.
Instead of faulting the authorities, the union argues that existing laws and the equipment provided to the police require significant improvements. Furthermore, in Berlin, the necessary legal frameworks were absent for more extensive measures, such as electronic ankle monitors or prolonged preventive detention. Additionally, the police and domestic intelligence services lacked the personnel resources required to monitor all persons of interest around the clock.
Teggatz, however, directed his criticism toward the politics and the judiciary. He maintained that politicians should have long ago developed a modern police law incorporating comprehensive preventive powers. From the union’s perspective, these powers should specifically include pre-trial detention, electronic ankle monitors, online surveillance, source telecommunications monitoring, and the use of automated facial and behavioral recognition via video technology and AI in public spaces.
He continued, stressing that the Berlin court’s decision to mandate a so-called suspended sentence ultimately resulted in a death and numerous injuries. Teggatz argued that if the court had no alternative legal option, the juvenile justice system must urgently be updated to prevent such occurrences in the future. Meanwhile, a special session of the Interior Committee was held on Tuesday to discuss the security authorities’ work leading up to the attack on the CSD.
