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Wiesbaden (dpa / lhe) - The past year with its numerous large-scale operations plus Corona has brought the Hessian police to the edge of the feasible from the point of view of the police union (GdP).

During the clearing work in the Dannenröder forest alone, more than 2000 officials were on duty over a period of six weeks, said the Hessian GdP state chairman Andreas Grün of the German press agency.

These officials came from all over Germany, but most of them from Hesse.

"I don't think there was a policeman in Hessen who hasn't been to the Dannenröder Forest a few times in these weeks," said Grün.

In addition to the cold weather and night operations, there were confrontations "with activists, some of whom were very unreasonable," some of whom were willing to commit crimes.

"That put a huge burden on the Hessian police."

However, the operations to implement corona protective measures are also stressful.

"We notice every day that our colleagues are very worried when they come across a group of perhaps 15 people, none of whom is wearing a mask," said Grün.

The officers would have to intervene - "and then they coughed up and spat on - the colleagues naturally worry about their health and recognition as an accident at work in the event of an infection."

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The new year should also remain challenging for the police officers.

"You have to see how the vaccinations have an impact and how the incidences develop," said Grün.

“But in any case, we will be strongly challenged in the first half of the year to enforce the Corona regulations in terms of distance or mask requirements.

We are still very far from giving the all-clear for the situation. "

Because the workload increased enormously at the end of the year, the union demanded a special payment and special leave for the Hessian police officers in an open letter to the Prime Minister, the Interior Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister as a sign of recognition.

"Unfortunately, we haven't received any reaction at all," said Grün.

The police are also concerned about gatherings with “terrible group dynamic processes” after the end of the lockdown - with attacks against police officers, such as last year in Frankfurt and Darmstadt: “I think the longer the lockdown lasts and the more frustration builds up the greater the risk that we will be confronted with such missions again. "

Police Union, State Association of Hesse