The allegations against the SEK officials are a blow. Against the special unit itself. But also against the entire Hessian police. Nobody could have imagined that things could get worse after the investigation into the chat group in the 1st Frankfurt police station in connection with the threatening letters from NSU 2.0. In fact, many police officers who have been working under a bell jar for the past two years believed that the Hessian police had the worst behind them. The omens were good after the series of threatening letters was apparently about to be investigated. Well, officials said on Wednesday, it feels like everything has been set to zero again.
The fact that it hits officers from the special task force this time makes no difference in terms of criminal law, but symbolically it does.
Because the special unit is considered the supreme discipline.
The officers' missions, which range from hostage-taking to terrorism, are not just physically demanding.
Of course, you should also be particularly honest.
This picture has shaken.
The fact that 20 officers from the unit were suddenly removed from duty overnight, tears a huge gap in the laboriously built anti-terror security structure.
It will be difficult to fill it, although Police President Gerhard Bereswill has taken the right steps.
Free from the swamp
What remains is the question of the origin. The Presidium will not be able to avoid making further efforts to analyze why such a large group is apparently not aware of any wrong by sharing hatred images - and the superiors still participate, although they would have to punish such behavior.
The wrong reflex would be to put the entire police under general suspicion again. Just like when the case of the 1st precinct came up, there are now many police officers who look at their own colleagues with uneasy feelings. Who ask: what has been overlooked? But they are also angry because they know that they have to take on the street what their colleagues have triggered. As long as these officials exist, nothing has been turned back to zero. That is how long one can hope that the Frankfurt police will eventually free themselves from their swamp.