According to the current findings of the investigators, there is no connection between the searches in the current Frankfurt police scandal and the proceedings relating to the threatening letters signed "NSU 2.0".

There are also no known connections to the chat group of the 1st Frankfurt district, which was exposed in connection with the threatening letters.

Ewald Hetrodt

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung in Wiesbaden.

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This was announced by Stefan Sauer (CDU), State Secretary of the Hessian Ministry of the Interior, on Tuesday at a special meeting of the responsible committee in the state parliament.

As the minister's representative, he had to answer three "urgent" requests for reports from the parliamentary groups of the Left, FDP and SPD.

It was about the allegations against five police officers who have since been suspended.

It is not only being investigated because of the use of anti-constitutional symbols in 2017 and 2018, but also because of the thwarting of criminal prosecution by superiors who are said to have covered up right-wing extremist chats and warned their colleagues.

Sauer was unable to answer the question of whether the accused could have thwarted investigations against police officers in other cases because extensive personnel files had to be viewed.

So far, according to the Secretary of State, there are no such findings.

Warnings and cover-ups are particularly to be condemned

The government and opposition agreed that the warnings given to the suspects by superiors and the failed attempt to cover up the right-wing extremist chats should be particularly condemned.

These acts would have a new quality and thwarted Beuth's attempt to establish a new leadership and error culture in the police force.

The concept of "police investigating the police" obviously doesn't work, said Torsten Felstehausen, parliamentary manager of the left.

Like the SPD parliamentary group, he also called for the immediate establishment of an independent complaints and investigation office and the appointment of an independent ombudsman and police officer, which had already been decided.

Sauer recalled that the events had been uncovered by a police officer contacting the police contact designated for such cases.

The strength of character expressed in it was expressly appreciated by all factions.

CDU MP Alexander Bauer stated that everyone knew that the Hessian police would continue to make mistakes in the future.

But the enlightenment must take place in exactly the same way as is happening now.

For the FDP parliamentary group, Stefan Müller called for the usual procedures for internal investigations to be revised.

A professional distance between managers and subordinates, sufficient advisory services and staff rotation could contribute to the core tasks of police management being carried out reliably.

In this specific case, it is urgently necessary to clarify how the superiors found out about the investigations into the chats, said Müller.

Sauer countered the opposition's accusation that Beuth had not informed the parliamentarians about the current case in good time by pointing out that the public prosecutor's office would decide on the communication.

Felstehausen and the Social Democrat Heike Hofmann were outraged that Beuth did not find it necessary to interrupt his vacation for the committee meeting.

The politicians who had traveled did not spend much time on the matter either.

The answers to the 60 written questions and their business-like discussion took a total of two hours.