Accusation of racial profiling: More and more random police checks
Current figures show that the Federal Police carried out more than 4.7 million suspicion-independent checks last year. This is almost double the number of checks carried out in the previous year, when there were around 2.4 million checks. In 2022, there were 2.3 million checks. The figures come from a current response from the Federal Government to a request from the Left Party, which taz has received.
The Federal Police are legally permitted to carry out these checks in order to track down people who have entered the country illegally at the German borders, on trains, at airports or on the road. And in fact, the vast majority of checks, 4.3 million cases, were carried out as part of covert surveillance, i.e. police checks carried out close to the border and without suspicion. Around half of the checks took place at the border with the Czech Republic: 2.4 million.
However, the number of illegal entries discovered remained very manageable. In 2024, there were 17,900 cases - compared to 61,400 in the previous year. This means that the checks had a "hit rate" of less than one percent - the vast majority of people checked had a visa or residence permit. One reason for the low numbers, however, is likely to be the introduction of stationary border controls , which already record many cases of illegal entries.
Left Party MP Clara Bünger criticized the police practices and the high numbers. It cannot be that millions of people continue to be suspected and checked without any objective reason. "This has not changed in the slightest during the government of the self-proclaimed progressive coalition." Racist police checks have a stigmatizing effect and often lead to great uncertainty among those affected, Bünger told taz. They also violate the ban on discrimination in the Basic Law. "This harmful practice must be stopped."
Bünger is calling for the authority to carry out checks regardless of suspicion to be abolished without replacement. Police measures should only be taken if there is concrete suspicion and not because people are generally suspected of being dangerous based on their appearance.
The traffic light government hadstated in its planned Federal Police Act that police checks based on origin, gender, religion or language and "without an objective reason justified by the purpose of the measure" were inadmissible. In future, those checked would have the right to request control receipts from the federal police on which the reason for the check must be noted. In Bremen, such receipts have been available since 2021 .
In their manifesto for the federal election, the Greens renewed the plan: They wanted to "design police control powers in such a way that they can be applied in a legally secure manner," they said. This included a "ticket system for controls that explains the reasons for controls." In the SPD's election manifesto, the Federal Police Act only spoke of "clear powers" for the police.
The Union, on the other hand, explicitly stated in its election manifesto that the police should not issue inspection receipts. The police commissioner introduced by the traffic light coalition would also be abolished.
taz
