Fire set in authority: Attack in youth welfare office triggers debate about protection

The attack at a youth welfare office in the south of Brandenburg has sparked great concern and a debate about the danger to authority employees. According to the union Verdi Attacks on public sector employees in Germany have been increasing for years.

The CDU Brandenburg considers it necessary to critically review and adapt the security concepts for public administrations and authorities. “Public sector employees must be able to do their work without fear of violence or intimidation,” it said.

The district administrator UckermarkKarina Dörk (CDU), is discussing, in view of growing aggression, whether a security guard will be hired in the future, as she told the German Press Agency. “We have to rethink how we protect our employees. It’s frightening.”

Internal alarm calls in the youth welfare office

In their administration, youth welfare office employees have previously been able to call for support from colleagues in difficult situations using certain emergency buttons on the telephone – a kind of silent alarm. “Everyone who is connected knows that there is a problem in the office and we have to help.” However, she couldn’t say how often this happens.

At the youth welfare office in Finsterwalde – a branch of the district administration – a man threatened an employee on Monday and set fire to her office. A 35-year-old German man was then caught outside the building as a suspect. A police spokesman said an investigation was being carried out on suspicion of attempted murder. The investigation into the motive is ongoing.

Verdi: Improved protection concepts necessary

A Verdi spokesman said: “The attacks against employees in the public sector, in emergency services, in emergency rooms in hospitals and against drivers have been increasing for years.” This has been proven not only by the news of the last few weeks and months, but also by relevant studies. “We have long been calling for improved protection concepts, effective prevention and adequate staffing. Unfortunately, there is currently no lasting improvement in sight.”

District Administrator: More house bans

District Administrator Dörk from Uckermark described that verbal attacks had increased drastically. This affects the youth welfare office, which often has particularly emotional cases, the job center, the social psychiatric service and official veterinarians. They are also issuing more stay-at-home orders and reports are being filed. But they couldn’t give any figures.

The recent attacks on youth welfare office employees also put a psychological strain on their administration’s employees, said Dörk. The CDU politician is president of the district council Brandenburg. However, she emphasized that she based her assessment on experiences from her district administration. However, the municipal umbrella association will also discuss this.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:260717-930-397612/1