Herbert Reul is outraged. "What seems to have happened there in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, is not possible at all," said the North Rhine-Westphalian interior minister on Thursday in the state parliament. The Interior Committee deals with serious allegations in a special session. Six officers who are deployed in the police station in the Cologne district have used cell phone chats to exchange information about acts of violence in a disturbing way. Once one of the men wrote to a colleague: "If I had known that he was such a son of a bitch, he would have received more ... At some point we will surely get it again." In another text message, an official boasted that he had "the Turk." I gave a (sic) kick yesterday ... Seriously, it flew hard. Send you pictures of his face tomorrow. "From a chat it emerges thatthat two of the officers wanted to be assigned to a joint patrol trip. "In any case, we will arrest someone and destroy someone," says the text message.

Pure burger

Political correspondent in North Rhine-Westphalia.

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The investigation into the case began after the death of a 59-year-old Italian citizen. Five of the officers are said to have been excessively violent against the man on a routine deployment in late April, who was subsequently admitted to hospital. There the doctors found two broken ribs, but the man left the clinic on the same day. In June, the man, who suffered from various previous illnesses, died after a two-week stay in another clinic. Experts are still investigating whether there is a connection with what happened during the police operation. The Cologne public prosecutor's office is investigating five of the police officers between the ages of 24 and 40 on suspicion of dangerous bodily harm in the office and a possible appointment to use force.

Chat histories cast doubt on the suitability of the officers

For suspects suspended from duty, the presumption of innocence applies, Reul said on Thursday.

But what is in the text messages alone is "strong stuff".

The behavior cannot be explained by boasting and showing off how a lawyer interpreted the text messages.

The discovered chat history made him seriously doubt the inner attitude and suitability of the officers.

This attitude has no place in the North Rhine-Westphalian police, says Reul and cites another message in which one of the accused boasted that he had “just clapped someone over”.

In addition to the criminal proceedings, all civil service and disciplinary law means will be used in the case.

The members of the Interior Committee agree that Reul is cross-party.

"Our police in North Rhine-Westphalia are definitely not a thug group," stated a member of the FDP.

The state police are "self-critical, constitutional and professional," says Reul.

This is the only way to explain that there were only around 4,500 complaints in the more than 4.7 million missions in 2020.

After an intensive examination, there were only indications of misconduct relevant to disciplinary or criminal law in 370 cases.