With his demand for more “law and order” in germany, federal health minister jens spahn (CDU) has caused trouble. North rhine-westphalia’s interior minister herbert reul, a party colleague of spahn’s, reacted in a huff.
“You don”t improve internal security with interviews and slogans, but by tackling and changing things,” reul emphasized in dusseldorf.
Spahn had complained in the "neue zurcher zeitung" that the state had not been able to provide sufficient "law and order" in recent years. "Just look at working-class neighborhoods in essen, duisburg or berlin. It gives the impression that the state is no longer willing or able to enforce the law," the CDU politician said.
The NRW state government is working "at high pressure" to regain the citizens" lost trust in law and order, said reul. "So we don’t need any good advice from the federal government." rather, he said, they are invited to help. "For example, by ordering federal police officers, who are actually stationed in NRW and are temporarily on duty in bavaria, back to our train stations. We could use the civil servants for that too."
Duisburg’s mayor soren link (SPD) also expressed his annoyance at spahn. He accused spahn of "sweeping judgments" that testify to "cluelessness.
The police union gdp reacted with incomprehension. "It is incomprehensible when federal politicians denounce an imbalance in law and order when they have actually had a hand in changing this state of affairs for years," said federal chairman oliver malchow. A massive police presence is needed at certain criminal hotspots, but there is a lack of manpower.
Rainer wendt, the federal chairman of the german police union, buried the objection, but noted: "jens spahn is describing the consequences of a decades-long austerity policy, in which the union was not uninvolved."
FDP leader christian lindner wrote on twitter: "spahn worries about "law and order"". I worry about his memory" – the union has been providing the federal interior minister since 2005.
Grune and left accused spahn of neglecting his real tasks. He expects the health minister "to tackle the grievances in his area of responsibility and not to drive a new pig through the village every day or to distinguish himself as a border post," wrote the parliamentary manager of the left in the bundestag, jan korte, on twitter. Grunen faction leader katrin goring-eckardt wryly remarked that spahn should be given the important tasks of minister for health and care. "No one is doing anything right now."
Grunen leader annalena baerbock said spahn’s revisions showed "how unserious the federal government’s supposed new pro-european course was meant". The CDU politician had also praised hungary’s right-wing nationalist prime minister viktor orban for protecting the european eastern border. Orban fears for his power, said baerbock, "and immediately right-winger jens spahn is there to help with the election campaign. Orban kicks european fundamental rights with pistols in hungary."
Spahn, on the other hand, received support from the CDU and CSU. In federal states where the SPD governs or has governed for a long time, there is a "considerable need to catch up" with the police, CDU interior politician stephan harbarth told the german press agency. "In north rhine-westphalia and rhineland-palatinate, for example, police density is particularly low."On the other hand, there is a "low crime rate and high clearance rates in many countries with union membership, especially in bavaria".
CSU state group leader alexander dobrindt told the "bild" newspaper: "in some federal states, one can get the impression that left-wing chaots are protected rather than punished.If the police in some federal states only enjoy a lack of political support, "the state gives up a lever for law enforcement"."