Police scandal on Alexanderplatz: Process for assault!

Police scandal on Alexanderplatz: Process for assault!

This day, July 7, 2025, four police officers stand in front of the Tiergarten district court at Alexanderplatz in Berlin. The allegations against them are serious: in July 2021 they are said to have abused an innocent man when he only wanted to report the loss of his wallet. The victim was only 21 years old at the time of the crime.

The main accused, a 37-year-old police officer, is accused of having beaten the young man. Two other accused reported that they not only found the 37-year-old's approach to be shocking, but also that they had not approved or approved any such violence. This statement could be crucial for the course of the procedure. The accused 37-year-old initially silent about the allegations.

serious charges and legal consequences

The public prosecutor files charges for assault in office, persecution of innocent, coercion in office and deprivation of freedom. The central question will be whether the police officers have opposed their duty in this case. After the abuse, the officials decided to initiate an illegal investigation against the victim and wrongly claim that the young man had thrown on them with objects. The 37-year-old has been in court in another procedure in the past and has now voluntarily acknowledged the police service.

The current allegations open a wound that plays a major role in public perception of police violence and misconduct. Numerous studies have been dealing with attacks by police officers and the processing of such incidents in Germany for years.

research on police violence and their processing

As part of the research project KViapol ("Bodily harm in the office by police officer") of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and with an investigation that ran from 2018 to 2023, extensive results on police violence and their criminal lawsuit were published. In two intermediate reports and a book that was published in 2023 and is to be translated into English in 2025, excessive violence from the police are analyzed.

• survey with over 3,300 participants
• over 60 qualitative interviews
• comprehensive analysis of interaction and the definition power of the police

These research results show that it is a far -reaching problem that often remains difficult to reach in public and in the judiciary. The results are not only available as an open access, but were also presented in a final lecture at the Goethe University in Frankfurt.

The case of the four police officers is being followed with great attention and could have far -reaching consequences for the internal processing of police attacks in Germany. At a time when trust in the police is increasingly being put to the test, the legal review of such incidents is of crucial importance.