Green MP Demands Study on Sexual Misconduct in Federal Police

Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentarian Irene Mihalic has called for a comprehensive unrecorded cases study to examine sexual misconduct and sexism within Germany's federal police agencies. Speaking to the media network Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, the Bundestag member stated that an independent dark figure investigation is required to capture the true scale of unreported incidents within security authorities. Mihalic cited recently released statistics from the German armed forces and internal police oversight reports as the primary basis for her initiative.

The proposal comes after the Bundeswehr Center for Military History and Social Sciences published a survey on conduct within the military. According to the published data, 38 percent of surveyed female soldiers and 16 percent of male soldiers reported experiencing verbal sexual harassment within the preceding twelve months. In addition, nine percent of female soldiers and three percent of male personnel reported physical sexual assaults during the same timeframe.

In her statements, Mihalic explicitly referenced the annual report published in July by Federal Police Commissioner Uli Grötsch. The commissioner's document recorded multiple formal complaints regarding sexual harassment and physical boundary violations occurring internally among Federal Police staff. Mihalic stressed that security agencies in Germany remain heavily male-dominated environments, making robust protective measures for female officers imperative. She praised the position of the parliamentary police commissioner as an essential independent institution for maintaining internal accountability.

Internal departmental culture within German law enforcement was previously examined in a 2024 study published by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. That research found that slightly more than 40 percent of surveyed federal and state police officers had observed sexist remarks being directed at colleagues or private citizens. However, that specific study focused exclusively on observed verbal statements rather than unrecorded physical incidents or direct experiences of harassment.

Mihalic argued that expanding dark figure research would serve to strengthen preventive measures and protect affected personnel across all federal security structures. The Bundestag is expected to consider further discussions on internal oversight mechanisms for federal law enforcement agencies following the commissioner's latest filings.

Written by Thomas Nussbaumer thomas.nussbaumer@alpineweekly.com