Whistleblowing in german police forces: Structural and cultural challenges

• In Event: POLWG Panel 8. Police Misconduct, Whistleblowing and the Code of Silence

Abstract

In recent years, racist and other misanthropic statements and attitudes in the police force have repeatedly been revealed and discussed in public discourse. Particular attention has been paid to police chat groups in which racist and also right-wing extremist content was shared: Reports of new revelations repeatedly attracted attention. Since the participants in these closed digital social spaces did not voluntarily disclose their misanthropic content, it usually only became known when colleagues reported it.
Incidents like these illustrate the relevance of a functioning whistleblowing system within the police force. It can be seen as a self-regulatory instrument to maintain the functioning of the organisation in line with the expectations of the environment by enabling a response to grievances. On the basis of 20 interviews with german police officers, this study examines the challenges and problems faced by both the reporting offices and (potentially) whistleblowing police officers in Germany. It shows that there are both structural and cultural obstacles within the police force that prevent whistleblowing.

Author

• Daniela Hunold, HWR Berlin − Berlin School of Economics and Law