Voting with Their Feet: Berlin Police Flee Left-Wing Politics

When capital leaves a city, economists call it a rational response to bad policy. When the police force starts packing its bags, it suggests a far deeper collapse in authority. Following the recent electoral victory of Die Linke in Berlin, a growing number of police officers are making it clear that they no longer wish to serve a political establishment indifferent to public safety.

At least 72 Berlin police officers have inquired about or requested transfers to other federal states since the election. To understand the magnitude of this sudden exodus, one need only look at 2025, when a modest 22 transfers were completed across the entire twelve months. Out of a total force counting roughly 18,500 officers, losing the equivalent of an entire operational unit within a matter of weeks reveals a profound institutional crisis.

The target destinations speak for themselves. A total of 58 officers have set their sights on Baden-Württemberg, while others are pursuing positions in Bavaria, Thuringia, and Bremen. Although the Berlin police department has officially registered only seven formal applications so far, the discrepancy is purely administrative. Officers typically probe opportunities in target states directly before submitting formal paperwork to their supervisors in the capital.

Representatives from the Police Union, including Benjamin Jendro and Frank Teichert, view the surge as an unambiguous alarm signal. Beyond the ideological shift in city hall, frontline personnel face severe overwork, chronically inadequate pay, and a complete absence of political backing. The situation has degraded to the point where younger officers are willingly forfeiting their accrued pension claims simply to resign and restart their careers in more stable jurisdictions.

This capital flight of security personnel has not gone unnoticed by neighbouring regions, whose conservative politicians are capitalizing on Berlin’s self-inflicted vulnerability. Manuel Hagel, deputy minister-president of Baden-Württemberg, publicly stated: “The Berlin police are too good for a left-wing clan mayor who wants to take away their resources and authority.” Meanwhile, Brandenburg’s Interior Minister, Jan Redmann, launched targeted recruitment pushes inviting officers worried about their political future to cross the state line. In a capital where ideological dogma routinely triumphs over order, nobody should be surprised when the guardians of the law choose to leave.

Written by Thorben Thiede thorben.thiede@alpineweekly.com