Police – Hanover – Pistorius: Talks about free local transport for police officers – Panorama
Hanover (dpa/lni) – Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Boris Pistorius announced that police officers would not have any uniform discussions on the question of free travel on local transport. “We’re looking at what can be achieved for which groups,” said the SPD politician on Monday in Hanover. The police union has clarified a corresponding demand and argues that officers who do not wear uniforms can also ensure safety on buses and trains. Therefore, in the future, they should also be able to identify themselves as police officers by other characteristics.
So far, police officers can only use the union’s public transport in uniform without a ticket. State chief Kevin Komolka said that not all police officers wear uniforms all the time: “The fact that these colleagues only don’t have to buy a ticket if they put on a uniform for the train journey, if they even have one available, makes little sense.”
Regardless of their clothing, police officers also ensure safety by showing presence, being accessible to passengers and staff and being able to intervene in an emergency. “In Baden-Württemberg it is the case that openly wearing your service ID and carrying a service weapon and handcuffs entitle you to free use of local transport,” said Komolka. “This is a good regulation that we would like to follow in Lower Saxony.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220829-99-552394/3