Even before Berlin’s new Senate has been formed, a situation is looming that could have far-reaching consequences. According to Focus, many police officers have decided to seek transfers following the Left Party’s election victory.
So far, 72 officers are said to have enquired about transferring from Berlin to other federal states or have already submitted applications. That is more than three times the total number of completed transfers in 2025. According to Berlin Police, there were 36 transfers in 2024.
If this continues, “we have a problem”, warned Benjamin Jendro, spokesperson for the German Police Union (GdP). “If this happens every year, within two years Berlin will have lost the equivalent of an entire police precinct in terms of personnel.” Berlin currently has 18,500 police officers.
The Left Wants to Put the Police Under Scrutiny
One reason behind the potential exodus of police officers is presumably the criticism of the police voiced by the Left since its victory in the Berlin House of Representatives election.
“Police violence requires independent investigation and countermeasures. We can observe that more police officers do not necessarily lead to greater security,” the party stated, among other things. It also said: “Police operations, for example at demonstrations, random checks in high-crime areas (KBOs, editor’s note) and weapons-free zones, or at football matches, are labour-intensive and often fail to achieve their objectives.”
Another factor is that federal states such as Brandenburg and Baden-Württemberg are actively recruiting police officers looking to transfer. Pay also plays a role, with police salaries in Berlin below the average for other German states.
Other Federal States Are Actively Recruiting Berlin Police Officers
Manuel Hagel (CDU), Baden-Württemberg‘s Interior Minister, openly appealed to Berlin police officers after the election. “Berlin’s police force is too good for a left-wing clan mayor.” Hagel was referring to the possibility of Elif Eralp becoming Berlin’s Governing Mayor.
Similar messages came from Brandenburg. Interior Minister Jan Redmann (CDU) wrote on Instagram: “Are you from Berlin or Saxony-Anhalt, do you want to become a police officer, and are you currently worried about the political future of your home state? Then take a look at Brandenburg!”
Brandenburg also plans to create almost 450 new police positions. “Some are questioning the police. We are making our police force even stronger!” Redmann added.
Finally, the rising number of Berlin police officers subjected to violence is also likely to play a role. According to police crime statistics, such incidents have increased by around 50 percent since 2019.
This text was originally written and published on the 6th of October in German. It was translated into English with the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
