German Police Ombudsman Calls for Increased Awareness of Sexual Harassment in Police Force
The Federal Government’s Police Ombudsman, Uli Grötsch of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has emphasized the need for more awareness of sexual harassment within the police force. He mentioned that he had received isolated complaints, “concerning the misconduct of superiors, such as mobbing or sexual harassment” in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
These are societal problems that also exist in police authorities, “but only more so” said Grötsch. The police’s self-claim must be “especially high” he highlighted. “The police must be particularly vigilant in the areas of sexual harassment, chauvinism, racism, and mobbing. This applies to all state institutions” Grötsch stated.
To achieve this, he wants to “create awareness and a different mentality.” “It has been proven that only a top-down model helps: If the leader of a federal police inspection makes a clear statement on his duty station regarding a zero-tolerance climate for sexual harassment, then in most cases, this climate prevails. If he does not, then the situation is different” Grötsch said.
“We have few submissions on sexual harassment. But the topic is like an elephant in the room. We are accordingly vigilant. For at the end, it should not stand that the perpetrator remains and the victim leaves, as is the case in many instances” the former Bundestag member emphasized.