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The study “Chasing the Turks” provides evidence of racist policemen
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According to the study, many police officers did not knowingly act in a racist way, but rather unconsciously and referred to the experience
Source: pa / photo booth / Gelhot
A study from the Ruhr University of Bochum provides numerous indications of racist behavior on the part of German police officers. There is a structural problem in police practice. On the other hand, Rainer Wendt, president of the German Police Union, sees “bad humor”.
meThe police officer became clear to investigators. Some colleagues say: “Today we are going to hunt Turks.” Then they went looking for them on patrols. Small things, for example, if someone forgets to blink, they would be over the top. This was reported by the official when a national study was requested by the Ruhr University in Bochum, which was presented in Berlin on Wednesday.
This is not an isolated case: the survey provides numerous indications of racist behavior on the part of police officers. Since 2018, a total of 3,370 people have been questioned and 63 expert interviews have been conducted for the study “Physical Injury in Office by Police Officers”. Now, the data has been reassessed and examined for discriminatory behavior.
Professor Tobias Singelnstein of the Ruhr University summarizes the results as follows: “There is a structural problem in police practice.”
The alleged victims of illegal police violence reported clearly racist, anti-Semitic and Islamophobic insults. Police officers had confirmed it as behavior and statements from colleagues.
“Targeted Devaluation of People with Immigration Backgrounds and People of Color”
The magnitude of the “structural problem” cannot be judged on the basis of the available data, because the survey focused mainly on illegal police violence, says Singelnstein. It is even more urgent that the federal government now have its own study on racism among the police, which is currently being hotly debated.
“In our study, however, we also asked about experiences of discrimination,” the scientist reported. “There is a selective devaluation of people with immigration backgrounds and people of color.”
One interviewee reported that the police called her a “cute girl.” Most of them had experienced police violence, especially at major events.
In the case of people who, according to their own statements, are perceived as non-German, it is mainly the so-called non-suspect identity checks. “Independent controls of suspicion play a special role,” says Singelnstein. Sixty-two percent of people of color and 42 percent of people with a migrant background stated that they had been discriminated against by the police in situations of violence. For the other respondents, it was 31 percent.
Many police officers did not consciously act in a racist manner, but unconsciously and referred to the experience. “Of course we address this in training,” reported Professor Astrid Jacobsen from the Lower Saxony Police Academy. “But in practice and under time pressure, then a different logic takes effect: ‘I leave those who look like this.”
Wendt talks about a “bad campaign”
“It starts by being used and not sung,” said Blaise Francis El Mourabit, an attorney who regularly represents victims of discrimination. The police seem very authoritarian towards him and are quickly aware of the accusations. For example, when an African client tried to document a police check with her cell phone, she was “pinned to the ground until she lost consciousness.” There are police candidates who have dropped out because of the racist climate.
The lawyer requested the obligation to turn on the so-called body cameras of public officials in case of violation of fundamental rights, as well as an obligation to label at the national level, for example with a service number. He had already dialed the police emergency number himself because he had been detained by police officers who did not want to identify themselves.
When the study on police violence was first published, the police union (GdP) indicated that the police enjoyed great trust and recognition in all surveys. This would be different if something was wrong.
The president of the German police union, Rainer Wendt, spoke on Wednesday of “bad humor” and a “bad campaign” against the police. The statements are not scientifically sustainable.
“In view of the small national number of study participants with migratory backgrounds, the study is not conclusive for North Rhine-Westphalia,” said NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU). However, her house will take care of her and she will seek a conversation with Professor Singelnstein.
The data was collected through online surveys in 2018 and 2019. Despite the 3,370 respondents, the study is not representative. Sixteen percent of those surveyed said they had an immigration background, five percent belonged to the People of Color group. The expert interviews were conducted between 2019 and 2020.
