SPD on public safety

The SPD wants police to be more visible across the state and plans to give every police station one additional patrol car along with the staff to run it. The police are also to get modern technical equipment and use digitalization and artificial intelligence to fight crime.

The SPD wants more police on the streets. Every police station should get one more patrol car. There should also be more police officers. The police should use modern computer technology too.

The program calls for one more patrol car per police station and a matching increase in officers on duty. New systems are meant to collect, structure and share information, for example in counterterrorism or against complex criminal networks. Data protection and the right to informational self-determination are to be respected. For technology, the SPD wants to rely mainly on domestic providers that meet high standards for working conditions and security. Staffing and equipment should allow for thorough criminal prosecution.

The SPD wants to raise civil servants' pay and make the police allowance count toward pensions again. In the program's view, Hesse is an unattractive employer compared with the federal government and neighboring states.

The SPD wants to pay police officers better. Police officers get an extra allowance. This allowance should also count for their pension. This should make working for the state of Hesse more attractive.

Pay is to be appropriate to the office and meet constitutional requirements. Following the federal model, the police allowance is to count toward pensions again, so that it continues in retirement. The SPD justifies this with the lasting mental and physical strain and with the fact that many officers retire early for health reasons. Employees under collective agreements are also to be paid better. Part-time work is to be made possible and expanded to help balance family, work and caregiving.

The SPD wants to establish an open culture of leadership and of dealing with mistakes in the Hessian police. According to the program, this responds to allegations of right-wing extremism and far-right chat groups within the force. Complaints to the independent police commissioner are to become easier, including anonymous ones.

There were far-right chat groups in the Hessian police. The SPD wants the police to deal openly with mistakes. People should be able to complain more easily. They should be able to do this without giving their name.

The program plans a project called "Polizeischutz für die Demokratie" (police protection for democracy). Mistakes are to be reflected on, worked through and corrected. The ways to turn to the independent citizens' and police commissioner are to be expanded. This includes anonymous tips from whistleblowers. The SPD bases this on the police's role-model function for the rule of law, respect and tolerance.

The SPD wants to thoroughly reform Hesse's Verfassungsschutz (the state's domestic intelligence agency). Parliament is to oversee the agency more closely. The program justifies this with the protection of civil rights.

The Verfassungsschutz is a state intelligence service. The SPD wants to change it a lot. The state parliament should check it more closely. The SPD wants to protect citizens' rights this way.

The program announces a comprehensive reform of the state agency. Parliamentary oversight is to be expanded. The SPD stresses that, whatever the security needs, it stands for safeguarding the rights of citizens.

The SPD announces an action plan against extremism, above all right-wing extremism, which includes a new state foundation. It points to the murder of Walter Lübcke and the Hanau attack. In addition, extremists are not to be allowed to own weapons.

The SPD wants to act more strongly against right-wing extremism. A new state foundation is planned for this. The foundation should help victims and remember them. Extremists should not be allowed to have weapons.

The state foundation is meant to preserve the memory of victims of far-right violence, organize political education and give practical help to those affected. It is to bring in other institutions as partners and develop solutions in think tanks. According to the program, in mid-2022 a total of 197 people in Hesse from the extremist spectrum or known for politically motivated crime held weapons permits. Gun law is therefore to be tightened jointly by the federal government and the states. The SPD also wants to give victim protection higher priority and fight institutional racism.

The SPD wants to significantly improve the financial, technical and logistical resources of fire departments, rescue services and disaster response, and to support municipalities in doing so. Training and equipment are to be adapted to the effects of climate change.

The SPD wants to equip fire and rescue services better. This covers vehicles, stations, radio and protective gear. The state should help towns with this. The services should also find more young helpers.

The improvements cover vehicles, stations, communications and personal gear. Full-time rescue staff are to get the same protection as fire service employees, and the fire service allowance is to count toward pensions. Decentralized structures, especially volunteer ones, and sufficient backup capacity are meant to secure help in large-scale emergencies too. The SPD wants to help with recruiting and examine whether young people's involvement can be promoted through all-day school programs. It intends to counter attacks on rescue workers at all levels.

The SPD wants to renovate Hesse's prisons and end the partial privatization of the Hünfeld correctional facility. Security and rehabilitation are to carry equal weight in the prison system. Justice system staff are to be better protected from attacks.

The SPD wants to repair the prisons in Hesse. One prison in Hünfeld is partly run by a company. That is to end. Prisoners should not commit crimes again after release. People who work in the justice system should get better protection.

The platform describes most of Hesse's prisons as run-down and announces a renovation drive. Because the SPD sees the prison system as a core state task, the partly private operation of the Hünfeld facility is to be phased out. The special allowance paid to prison staff is to count toward their pensions in the future. Justice employees who have experienced attacks are to get an ombudsperson and support services. The stated goal of imprisonment is that released inmates do not reoffend.