Polizei und Fremde: Belastungssituationen und die Genese von Feindbildern und Übergriffen

Police discrimination and police distrust among ethnic minority adolescents in Germany

“…By focusing on the perspective of young adolescents on police discrimination and trust in police and the judicial system, we obviously overlook the other side—the perspective of the police itself. This approach sidesteps a considerable body of literature on racism within the police (for the German research see: Eckert et al, 1998 ; Mletzko and Weins, 1999 ; Wiendieck et al, 2002 ; Schweer and Strasser, 2003 ; Behr, 2019 ; Kemme et al, 2020 ). Linking both the perspectives of minorities and the police would undoubtedly be a fruitful direction for future research, as it is likely to provide more conclusive evidence on the extent and importance of police discrimination in ethnic minorities’ lives.…”

“…Comparable research for Germany is less common, but the topic has recently received more attention in the literature ( Eckert et al, 1998 ; Wiendieck et al, 2002 ; Schweer and Strasser, 2003 ; Behr, 2019 ; Abdul-Rahman et al, 2020 ; Müller and Wittlif, 2023 ). Although Germany lacks a history of slavery comparable to the US, we ask ourselves whether one should expect police discrimination and mistrust toward police and judicial system among ethnic and racial minorities in this country as well?…”

“…Cases of over-policing targeted at immigrants and ethnic minorities, ethnic profiling in stop-and-search procedures, high levels of crime victimization, including “hate crimes,” as well as disparities with regard to arrests, charges, pre-trial detention, conviction, and incarceration rates between ethnic and racial minorities and the majority population, all serve as indicators of discrimination against ethnic minorities in European police and judicial systems ( Antonopoulos, 2003 ; Holmberg and Kyvsgaard, 2003 ; Zauberman and Lévy, 2003 ; Albrecht, 2008 ; Bijleveld et al, 2008 ; Roché, 2008 ; FRA [European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights], 2009 ; Open Society Institute, 2009 ; Röder and Mühlau, 2012 ; Pierson et al, 2020 ; Vomfell and Stewart, 2021 ). Given that police discrimination is also pervasive in Germany ( Jaschke, 1997 ; Eckert et al, 1998 ; Mletzko and Weins, 1999 ; Luff et al, 2018 ; Abdul-Rahman et al, 2020 ), the question arises whether we can capture it through ethnic minorities’ reports of discrimination experiences.…”

Xenophobic attitudes in German police officers

“…Part of the political center have radicalized, are prepared to use violence, and blatantly express right-wing extremist sentiments. However, the most recent available research on xenophobic attitudes in police officers in Germany, and especially in North-Rhine Westphalia, was conducted in the late 1990s and found mixed evidence for the prevalence of xenophobic attitudes among German police officers (Eckert et al, 1996, 1998; Feltes, 1990, 2002; Mletzko and Weins, 1999; Ohlemacher, 1999). In consideration of recent changes in migration and demographic structure in Germany, current research on xenophobic attitudes in German police officers and on their influence on police behavior is warranted.…”