50 hours of training

Amateur police in Germany, unthinkable here!

(Bild: APA/dpa/Fredrik von Erichsen)

Our German neighbors have a rather unusual volunteer service: the volunteer police service. A kind of "auxiliary police force" consisting of armed, voluntary citizens. Unthinkable in Austria, as the Federal Ministry of the Interior said when asked by the "Krone" newspaper. But opinions are also divided in Germany.

Calling in volunteers from the population to support the police doesn't sound bad at first - especially in times of blatant staff shortages. The only question that remains is what the "training" and service should look like afterwards. In Germany, the voluntary police service exists in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse and Saxony. In Baden-Württemberg, it has even existed since 1963, with 576 citizens (as of 2020).

An "auxiliary police force" that does not have the necessary high-quality police training is not an option in Austria.

Österreichisches Innenministerium

With weapon and uniform
All they have to do is complete 50 hours of training. 18 and 65-year-olds can apply to join the voluntary police service. Applicants should also be in good health and "appear suitable in terms of their overall personality". During the training, self-defense, conversation skills, conflict avoidance as well as psychological and tactical principles are taught. The primary aim of the voluntary police service is to avoid dangerous situations.

Controversial in Germany too
If all this is fulfilled, the "auxiliary police officer" is given a weapon and uniform after "training" - a Walther P 5, the old service weapon of the German police. This is because the volunteers have the same status as a police officer under the Police Act and must therefore also be able to protect their own life or the life of another in an emergency. However, carrying a weapon is only permitted in Baden-Württemberg, in other federal states only a pepper spray. In Baden-Württemberg, volunteers also wear the regular police uniform.

Voluntary police service

Voluntary police service is a service performed by police officers who are not full-time employees. In Germany, trained volunteers support the regular police force as a kind of "auxiliary police force" or reserve. The service is a state institution in Germany and is subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. It is also enshrined in the Volunteer Police Service Act.

However, the carrying of a weapon by volunteers who have only completed 50 hours of training is also considered controversial in Germany. In 2018, for example, there was a dispute in the green-black state government of Baden-Württemberg about whether or not "auxiliary police officers" should be allowed to carry a weapon.

In general, the "auxiliary police officers" are allowed to stop suspicious and conspicuous people, take their personal details, write tickets and issue bans.

Maximum 40 hours per month
However, police work is usually limited to 40 hours per month. As a rule, employees receive an allowance of seven euros per hour.

Although it is a fact that the Austrian police are desperately looking for new police trainees to counteract the imminent wave of retirements, following the example of the Germans is not an option, as the Ministry of the Interior was told in response to an inquiry from Krone: "An 'auxiliary police force' that does not have the necessary high-quality police training is not an option in Austria."