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What do the parties in Hesse say on public safety?

5 current election programs in Hesse have points on this topic.

Their points are shown side by side, summarized and placed. The quote and page number for each point are on the party's topic page.

AIThe summaries and placements on this page were written by AI. No person reviews each one. How they are made

Each axis measures one topic. There is no single "left" or "right" for everything here: economy, society, migration and security are kept apart. Only what the program says is placed. How to read the placement

The small columns under the bars show how many points sit on each of the five steps.

AfD

Program for the 2023 Hesse state election

  • Civil liberties and securityleaning security and order first (+0.9), from 7 points

    Points per step: 0 clearly civil liberties first, 1 leaning civil liberties first, 0 balanced, 5 leaning security and order first, 1 clearly security and order first

  • Migrationleaning restrictive (+1), from 4 points

    Points per step: 0 clearly open, 0 leaning open, 0 balanced, 4 leaning restrictive, 0 clearly restrictive

Expand suspicionless stops and police presence

The AfD wants to allow police to carry out stops without specific suspicion across the state, especially in high-crime locations. It also calls for visible police presence and technical aids in public places, and for stronger deployment in areas it describes as no-go zones.

Police should be able to check people without suspicion anywhere in Hesse. The AfD also wants more police on streets and squares. Technical tools should be used there too. Unsafe areas should get their own police posts if needed.

Publicly identify perpetrators of homicide offenses

The AfD wants people who have committed crimes against life to be publicly identified. Detailed information about the person and the circumstances of the crime would be released. The party justifies this as protection of the public.

The AfD wants to name people who have killed someone. The public should learn who the offender is. It should also learn exactly what happened. The AfD says protecting victims matters more than protecting offenders.

Crack down on organized crime and clans

The AfD wants to target criminal organizations, clans and gangs and break up their structures. Long prison sentences, asset confiscation and the expulsion of foreign members would become the norm. Many new positions would be created in the police and the justice system for this.

The AfD wants tougher action against criminal gangs and clans. There should be long prison sentences. The state should take away the offenders' assets. Foreign members should have to leave the country. Police and courts should get more staff for this.

Preventive detention for dangerous sex offenders

The AfD wants sexual crimes against children to be prosecuted firmly. Convicted sex offenders who are considered an unpredictable danger would be kept in preventive detention after their prison term. The party also calls for public education about these crimes.

The AfD wants strict prosecution of crimes against children. This includes abuse and child pornography. Very dangerous offenders should not go free after prison. They should stay in preventive detention. That means they stay locked up to protect others.

Fight all forms of extremism equally

The AfD wants left-wing extremism, right-wing extremism and Islamism to be fought with equal effort. Extremist propaganda and symbols would be banned, funding cut off and foreign extremists deported. A court would decide whether something counts as extremist.

The AfD wants to fight every kind of extremism equally hard. This covers the left, the right and Islamism. Flags and symbols of extremists should be banned. Foreign extremists should have to leave the country. A court should decide what is extremist.

Show multiple citizenships in crime statistics

The AfD demands crime statistics that distinguish suspects in more detail. Multiple citizenships would be recorded and shown. The party argues that citizens are entitled to complete figures.

The AfD wants more detailed crime statistics. The statistics should show whether suspects have more than one citizenship. The AfD says citizens have a right to all the numbers.

Better equipment and pay for the police

The AfD wants to equip the police better, including with stand-off weapons for use during riots. Higher pay and benefits are meant to make the job more attractive. Anyone who wants to join the police would have to hold German citizenship.

The AfD wants to give the police better gear. This includes tools that keep violent people at a distance. Police officers should get more pay. Only Germans should be able to become police officers.

Shield domestic intelligence from political influence

The AfD wants the state domestic intelligence office (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz) to work free from party-political influence. Classification as a suspected case and surveillance could be made public only after a court approves. The head of the office should not be a political appointee.

The domestic intelligence office watches groups that may oppose the constitution. The AfD wants politicians to have no influence on it. The office should make a suspicion public only with a court's permission. The head of the office should not be a political appointee.

Strengthen disaster protection with sirens, shelters and an emergency fund

The AfD wants to expand disaster protection with a statewide siren network, repaired and new shelters, and an earmarked emergency fund. Fire departments, aid organizations and the Technisches Hilfswerk (federal technical relief agency) would get modern equipment. Allowances for volunteers would rise with the cost of living.

The AfD wants to protect people better from disasters. There should be sirens everywhere. Old bunkers should be repaired. New public buildings should include shelters. There should be a fund for emergencies such as floods. Volunteers should get more money for their expenses.

AfD: all 9 points with quotes and page numbers

CDU

Program for the 2023 Hesse state election

  • Civil liberties and securityleaning security and order first (+1.4), from 16 points

    Points per step: 0 clearly civil liberties first, 0 leaning civil liberties first, 0 balanced, 10 leaning security and order first, 6 clearly security and order first

Improve safety for older people

The CDU wants to better protect older people from fraud and crime. A future commission on "Safety in Old Age" is to develop proposals, and the network of safety advisers for seniors is to grow across all of Hesse.

The CDU wants to protect older people better. For example from the grandchild scam and from fraud on the internet. A commission should collect ideas on this. There should be safety advisers for seniors everywhere in Hesse. The police should continue their work against scammers.

Expand police staffing and equipment

The CDU wants to raise the number of police officers beyond 16,000 and modernize their equipment. Police should be more visible in cities and rural areas. The stated goal is less crime and a higher clearance rate.

The CDU wants to hire more police officers. The police should get better equipment. This includes body cameras and stun devices. People should see police on the street more often. A fourth helicopter should be added.

Digitalize police work

The CDU wants to continue digitalizing the police, with new software, apps for use in the field and a police cloud. Large volumes of data from investigations are to be analyzed largely automatically. Virtual reality is to be used more in training.

The CDU wants to make the police more digital. Officers should get good apps and software. Computers should sort through large amounts of data quickly. One office should be able to unlock locked phones and computers. Officers should also train with VR headsets.

Data retention and new surveillance powers

The CDU wants to adapt Hesse's police law (HSOG) to the digital world and advocates data retention. Automated data analysis, including with artificial intelligence, is to help fight crime. Under the platform's guiding principle, the more serious the offense, the more data protection should yield.

The CDU wants to give police more access to data. Phone and internet companies should store connection data in advance. Computer programs should analyze data automatically. For very serious crimes, police should also be able to read encrypted messages. The CDU says data protection must not protect offenders.

Expand drone use and drone defense

The CDU wants to make Hesse a leader in drones, drone tracking and autonomous flight. A drone detection system is to be built step by step, and security forces are to use drones more often on a clear legal basis.

The CDU wants to build a system that spots drones in the sky. It should start in the big city regions first. The police should use more drones themselves. Airports should be protected from illegal drones.

Organized crime: reverse the burden of proof

The CDU wants to reverse the burden of proof when seizing assets from organized crime and create a legal basis for seizing cryptocurrencies. A cross-agency task force is to step up enforcement. Fast-track proceedings are to apply to juvenile repeat offenders.

The CDU wants to act harder against organized crime. Suspects should prove that their assets are legal. Police should also be able to seize digital money. A team from several agencies should investigate together. Young repeat offenders should get to court faster.

Video surveillance with facial recognition, weapon-free zones

The CDU wants to keep using video surveillance and add facial recognition for manhunts. Weapon and alcohol ban zones, more public-order staff in the evening and better lighting are meant to raise actual and perceived safety in public spaces.

The CDU wants more cameras in public places. The cameras should also be able to recognize faces. This way police want to find wanted people faster. There should be more zones where weapons are banned. More public-order staff should be on buses and trains in the evening.

Ankle monitors to protect women from violence

The CDU announces a safety package for women. Contact and restraining orders are to be monitored with electronic ankle bracelets. According to the platform, women should be able to feel safe in every situation.

The CDU wants to protect women better from violence. Some offenders are not allowed to come near a woman. An electronic ankle monitor should check this. It is a device on the leg that reports the location.

Expand prevention programs for children and youth

The CDU wants to expand crime prevention with a particular focus on children and young people. Programs in schools are to be set up with the state prevention council. Better media literacy is meant to protect against abuse imagery and cybergrooming.

The CDU wants to prevent crime. Children and teens should learn at school how to protect themselves. They should know how to use the internet safely. There should be self-defense courses. People should be able to send tips to the police online more easily.

Improve police allowances and working conditions

The CDU wants to overhaul the system of police allowances and raise the general police service allowance. Officers who perform especially demanding duties are to receive an appropriate allowance. The job is also to become more attractive through modern workplaces and relief from administrative work.

The CDU wants new rules for police allowances. An allowance is extra money on top of pay. Officers with very hard duties should get more. Police should also have less office work.

Raise minimum sentence for attacks on emergency workers

The CDU wants to push at the federal level for a minimum prison sentence of six months for attacks on emergency personnel. A fine would then no longer be possible. The program argues that society has a duty to protect those who protect it.

The CDU wants tougher punishment for attacks on emergency workers. These are police, firefighters and rescue workers, for example. The sentence should be at least 6 months in prison. A fine should no longer be enough.

Strengthen the domestic intelligence agency

The CDU wants to give the Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz (state domestic intelligence agency) more staff and revise the law governing it. In the program's view, a democracy able to defend itself needs a stronger early-warning system against extremism and organized crime.

The CDU wants to strengthen the Verfassungsschutz. This agency watches enemies of democracy. It should get more staff. The law for the agency should also change.

Fight all forms of extremism and continue prevention

The CDU wants to act against right-wing and left-wing extremism, Islamism, and antisemitism and keep prevention funding at its current level. The program calls right-wing extremism the greatest current threat to democracy.

The CDU wants to fight all kinds of extremism. Extremists reject democracy. The CDU says the biggest danger now comes from right-wing extremists. The state should keep spending a lot on prevention.

Block extremists' access to firearms

The CDU wants members of anti-constitutional organizations to be deemed unfit to hold weapons without exception. The waiting periods after which former extremists may own firearms again are to be doubled. Sport shooters and hunters are not to be placed under general suspicion.

The CDU says extremists should not have guns. Members of anti-constitutional groups should get no permit. Former members should wait twice as long as now. Hunters and sport shooters should not face general suspicion.

Speed up prosecution and introduce minimum sentences

The CDU wants crimes to be prosecuted faster and more strictly, on the streets and online. Minimum sentences are to apply to blocking emergency routes and to blowing up ATMs. Fast-track proceedings are to be used wherever possible.

The CDU wants to prosecute crimes faster. People who block emergency routes should get at least a prison sentence. Blowing up ATMs should also carry a higher minimum sentence. Fast court proceedings should happen more often.

Require storage of IP addresses

The CDU wants IP addresses to be stored on a mandatory basis for a limited period. It points to the leeway the European Court of Justice has left for this. According to the program, this is needed to solve serious crimes such as child abuse.

The CDU wants IP addresses to be stored. An IP address shows which connection someone used online. Storage should be required and last only a set time. The CDU wants to solve serious crimes this way, such as child abuse.

Expand victim protection and crime prevention

The CDU wants to give more support to victim assistance and victim protection and anchor the state's victims' commissioner in law. Counseling centers and women's shelters are to be available statewide. Prevention programs for young people and for protecting children are to grow as well.

The CDU wants to help crime victims more. The state's victims' commissioner should get a legal basis. There should be counseling and women's shelters all over Hesse. Children should get special protection in court.

Strengthen prison staffing and facilities

The CDU wants to improve working conditions and pay for prison staff. Prisons are to be kept and modernized, and there should be enough prison places.

The CDU wants to make work in prisons better. Staff should get better pay. They should also get more training. Prisons will be modernized. There should be enough places for prisoners.

Expand rehabilitation, electronic tagging and deradicalization

The CDU wants to focus more on reintegrating offenders while expanding electronic location monitoring for people under post-release supervision. Radicalization in prisons is to be fought more strongly.

Offenders should find their way back into society after prison. For this, the CDU wants more language courses and courses on the rule of law. More released prisoners should wear an electronic ankle tag. The CDU also wants to act against radicals in prison.

Fund fire and disaster services and cut red tape

The CDU wants to continue funding for fire engines, fire stations and disaster-relief facilities and adjust it to rising prices. At the same time, regulations are to be reviewed and volunteers relieved of administrative work.

The CDU wants to keep giving a lot of money to fire services and disaster protection. The money is for vehicles and buildings. There should be less red tape. Volunteers should have less paperwork. Help should still arrive within 10 minutes.

Expand firefighter training and youth recruitment

The CDU wants to expand the state fire service school and make training more digital and flexible. Children's and youth fire brigades and fire safety education are to keep receiving strong support.

The CDU wants to make the school for firefighters in Hesse bigger. Courses should also be offered digitally and locally. That way training fits better with family and work. The CDU also wants to win children and young people for the fire service.

Expand crisis preparedness and civil protection

The CDU wants to step up preparation for emergencies and set up a crisis and resilience council for this purpose. Shelters, stockpiles, emergency power and warning systems are to be expanded, and people should be better able to protect themselves.

The CDU wants to prepare Hesse better for emergencies. A new council will write guidelines for this. There should be more shelters and more supplies. Sirens and a warning app will alert people. Each year there will be a civil protection day.

Protect critical infrastructure and space systems

The CDU wants to set up security management for critical infrastructure and offer municipalities a resilience seal. With the ESOC space operations center, Darmstadt is to become a European hub for crisis resilience and for protecting space infrastructure against cyberattacks.

Power, water and data networks matter to everyone. The CDU wants to protect them better from outages and attacks. Towns and cities should be able to get a seal for good preparation. In Darmstadt, a center will protect satellites from attacks over the internet.

Protect public employees and local officeholders from violence

The CDU wants every crime against public employees and local politicians to be reported to the authorities. The employer is to support those affected. Support services for victims of violence are to be strengthened.

Some people attack public workers or local politicians. The CDU wants every such crime to be reported. The employer should help the people affected. Victims of violence should get more help.

CDU: all 24 points with quotes and page numbers

FDP

Program for the 2023 Hesse state election

  • Civil liberties and securitybalanced (+0.2), from 13 points

    Points per step: 0 clearly civil liberties first, 4 leaning civil liberties first, 2 balanced, 7 leaning security and order first, 0 clearly security and order first

Hire 1,500 additional police officers

The FDP wants to hire 1,500 additional police officers by 2027 and relieve the police of administrative work. The profession is to become more attractive through new entry routes, better promotion prospects and a police allowance that counts toward pensions.

The FDP wants more police in Hesse. By 2027 there should be 1,500 more officers. They should have less paperwork. People with a mid-level school diploma should be able to join the police again. The job should pay better.

Digitize the police and improve equipment

The FDP wants to modernize the Hessian police digitally and improve its equipment. Every patrol car is to get mobile devices, police apps and a Taser. The aim is to keep pace with specialized offenders and make the police a more attractive employer.

The FDP wants to make the police more modern. Every patrol car should have mobile devices with police apps. Every car should also carry a Taser. A Taser is a device that briefly stuns a person with electricity. The police should get more experts on internet crime.

No expansion of state surveillance

The FDP rejects more technical surveillance, including government spyware, mass monitoring of private communication and blanket video surveillance without cause. Existing surveillance is to be independently evaluated and disclosed each year in an overall account.

The FDP does not want more surveillance by the state. The state should not read private messages on a mass scale. Cameras should only be at a few dangerous places. Each year a report should show how much the state has monitored.

Expand DNA analysis for the most serious crimes

The FDP wants investigators to be allowed to read a perpetrator's outward traits and origin from DNA traces. This would apply only to the most serious crimes and, according to the platform, would speed up manhunts and clear innocent people.

Police often find DNA traces at a crime scene. The FDP wants police to learn more from them. For example hair, eye and skin color and a person's origin. This should apply only to very serious crimes.

Tighten parliamentary oversight of domestic intelligence

The FDP announces a new law for the Verfassungsschutz (state domestic intelligence agency) that implements the recommendations of a cross-party expert commission. Its core is stronger oversight of the agency by the state parliament.

The Verfassungsschutz is the state's domestic intelligence agency. The FDP wants a new law for it. The state parliament should be able to check the agency better. Staff should be allowed to report problems directly to lawmakers.

Better support for fire and disaster services

The FDP wants to improve conditions for the largely volunteer forces in fire protection and disaster response. This includes more flexible age limits, less red tape and more funding for vehicles, equipment and buildings.

Many people help in the fire service as volunteers. The FDP wants to make their work easier. Fit older people should be allowed to stay longer. There should be more money for vehicles and equipment. Fire crews should have to write fewer reports.

Regulate weapon-free zones by state law

The FDP wants a state law to define when and where weapon-free zones are permitted and which items they cover. This is meant to give municipalities legal certainty and prevent disproportionate interference with fundamental rights.

In some areas people may not carry weapons. The FDP wants a clear law for this in Hesse. The law should say where such zones are allowed. It should also say what counts as a weapon.

Introduce regular studies of unreported crime

Alongside the official police crime statistics, the FDP wants regular research into how many crimes never come to the attention of the police. This is meant to give a more accurate picture of actual crime that policymakers can respond to early.

Each year the police count crimes. But the police never hear about many crimes. The FDP wants a study to research these crimes. The study should be repeated again and again. Universities should help with it.

Fight extremism of every kind and antisemitism

The FDP wants to act equally against right-wing, left-wing and Islamist extremism, through prevention and prosecution. It wants to examine several measures for the police, the justice system and domestic intelligence and to set up a parliamentary study commission. Antisemitism, including the demonization of Israel, is to be fought firmly.

The FDP wants to act against all kinds of extremism. This applies to right-wing, left-wing and Islamist groups. There should be programs that keep people away from extremism. Right-wing extremists should not be allowed to have weapons. The FDP wants to fight hatred of Jews with education and punishment.

Make disrupters pay more for police operations

The FDP wants to raise fees for police operations at unlawful protests such as road blockades so that they cover the costs. At major events, by contrast, individual troublemakers rather than organizers or clubs should pay.

Some people glue themselves to roads as a protest. The police then have to remove them, and that costs a lot. The FDP wants these people to pay more for it. At soccer games, clubs should not pay for the police. The people who use violence should pay.

Monitor potential attackers with ankle bracelets

The FDP wants Hessian police law to allow people classified as dangerous ("Gefährder") to be monitored with an electronic ankle bracelet on a judge's order. It sees this as a contribution to security and a milder intrusion than constant observation by officers.

"Gefährder" are people the police believe could commit serious attacks. The FDP wants to monitor them with an ankle bracelet. This is a device on the leg that reports where a person is. A court must allow it first.

Reject blanket surveillance of sports fans

The FDP rejects permanently personalized tickets, automated facial recognition and mandatory travel routes for sports fans. It prefers dialogue and fan projects instead, while wanting violent offenders to face sanctions.

The FDP does not want to watch all sports fans. It is against cameras that recognize faces. It is also against tickets with names as a lasting rule. But people who use violence should be punished.

Handle youth crime faster and under one roof

The FDP wants to set up more Häuser des Jugendrechts (youth justice centers), arguing that the existing ones have proven effective. Juvenile criminal cases are to be processed and heard more quickly. In youth detention facilities, education is to be the main focus.

The FDP wants more youth justice centers. Police, prosecutors and helpers work together there. Cases against young people should move faster. Young people in detention should be able to learn well.

Create a victim protection foundation, strengthen victims' rights

The FDP wants to found a Hessian victim protection foundation and give more support to victim aid associations. Victims are also to be told when an offender is granted day release or is released from prison.

The FDP wants to help crime victims more. Hesse should get a new foundation for this. Victims should learn when the offender gets out. Then they do not meet the offender unprepared.

Prevent child abuse, expand quick freeze

The FDP wants to expand prevention programs against child abuse and make greater use of the quick-freeze procedure. Under it, connection data is preserved when there is a specific suspicion, so investigators can identify offenders online more easily.

The FDP wants to protect children better from abuse. There should be more prevention programs. Police should be able to secure data faster when they suspect a crime. Children should be able to get advice from the police easily.

Modernize rehabilitation in the prison system

The FDP wants new approaches for reintegrating prisoners and more use of open prisons in order to reduce reoffending. Public safety is to be maintained throughout. Prison staff are also to get better training and pay.

The FDP wants prisoners to find their way back into life after prison. More prisoners should be in open prisons. That means they may leave during the day. They should also have more contact with family. This should lead to fewer new crimes.

FDP: all 16 points with quotes and page numbers

Grüne

Program for the 2023 Hesse state election

  • Civil liberties and securitybalanced (-0.1), from 13 points

    Points per step: 0 clearly civil liberties first, 6 leaning civil liberties first, 2 balanced, 5 leaning security and order first, 0 clearly security and order first

  • Societyleaning progressive (-1), from 3 points

    Points per step: 0 clearly progressive, 3 leaning progressive, 0 balanced, 0 leaning conservative, 0 clearly conservative

Better-equipped police and more staff for the courts

The Greens want to equip the police better while correcting problems that have developed within the force. A new mission statement is to describe police work in a pluralistic society. The justice system is to keep adding staff, and proceedings are to move faster.

The Greens want to give the police better equipment. Problems inside the police should be fixed. The police should get a new mission statement. That is a text that says how they want to work. The courts should get more staff and work faster.

No blanket video surveillance

The Greens reject blanket video or audio surveillance of public spaces. Preventive approaches with little coercion, such as crime prevention through urban design, are to take priority over surveillance. The platform argues that ever more laws do not automatically bring more security.

The Greens do not want cameras everywhere in streets and squares. They also do not want microphones everywhere. Other ways to stop crime are better. One example is well-planned, safe public places. Police should use smart cameras only in targeted cases.

High legal barriers for civil-rights restrictions

The Greens want measures that interfere with civil rights to be tied to strict legal conditions. In the platform's view, the EU's plans for so-called chat control do not meet these standards. Online crime should still be prosecuted consistently.

Some state measures limit people's rights. The Greens want strict rules for this. For strong measures, a judge should agree first. The Greens reject the EU plan to scan private chats. Police should still go after crime on the internet.

Fight extremism and expand prevention

The Greens want to combat right-wing extremism and other forms of extremism and enable security agencies to detect networks faster. At the same time, prevention programs, youth and social work, and civic education are to be expanded. The platform sees right-wing extremism as the greatest threat to democracy.

The Greens want to fight extremism. They see the biggest danger on the far right. Police and agencies should spot such groups faster. There should be more programs to prevent extremism. Civic education should grow too.

Tighten gun laws and expand checks

The Greens want to tighten gun laws through the Bundesrat and back the federal government's plans in that direction. In Hesse, gun owners are to be checked more often. According to the platform, extremists should not have weapons.

The Greens want stricter rules for guns. They want to make proposals in the Bundesrat, the chamber of the states. People who want a gun should be checked more closely. Hesse should check gun owners more often. Extremists should not have guns.

Better equipment for police, stronger stations

The Greens want good working conditions and modern equipment for the police. New positions should go where the need is greatest, with a focus on local stations and patrols. The fight against extremism, organized crime and online crime is also to be stepped up.

The Greens want good working conditions for the police. Police should get modern technology and protective gear. Local police stations and patrols should become stronger. Police should do more against extremism and internet crime. Police and social workers should work together more closely.

Make the police more diverse and transparent

The Greens want to implement the expert commission's proposals for a fresh start in the police, including a new mission statement. A pilot project with receipts for police stops is meant to show whether racial profiling occurs. Far-right attitudes within the police are to be countered with all legal means.

Everyone should be able to trust the police. So the Greens want to change the police. In a trial, people should get a receipt after a police stop. This should show whether police stop people because of how they look. Far-right views should have no place in the police.

Strengthen the citizens' and police commissioner

The Greens want to evaluate the office of the citizens' and police commissioner and develop it further with experts. It is to receive more powers and be expanded. People affected by police violence and misconduct should be able to get help there safely.

Hesse has a commissioner for citizens and the police. People can complain about the police there. The Greens want to review this office and make it stronger. It should get more powers. Victims of police violence should get safe help there.

Draw lessons from parliamentary inquiries

The Greens want to draw further consequences from the inquiries into the NSU murders, the murder of Walter Lübcke and the Hanau attack. According to the platform, security agencies failed in their duty to protect in these cases. Hesse is to take part in building a central federal NSU archive.

There were inquiries into the NSU murders, the murder of Walter Lübcke and the Hanau attack. The Greens say the agencies made mistakes. The Greens want to learn from them. Hesse should help build an NSU archive.

Continue reforming and overseeing domestic intelligence

The Greens want to continue restructuring the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which the platform says has often failed at its task. Academic expertise, staff qualifications and parliamentary oversight are to be strengthened. The use of informants is to remain a last resort and be reviewed.

The domestic intelligence agency should spot dangers to democracy early. The Greens say this often did not work well. So they want to keep changing the agency. Parliament should check the agency more closely. The agency should watch the internet better.

Strengthen fire services and disaster response

The Greens want fire departments, rescue services and disaster response to be well funded, staffed and equipped. Equipment is to be adapted to climate change effects such as heavy rain, floods and wildfires. Warning systems such as sirens and apps should reach everyone.

Fire departments and rescue services help people in need. The Greens want to give them more money and better gear. Climate change brings more floods and forest fires. Fire departments should be ready for this. Sirens and warning apps should reach all people.

Expand the central cybercrime prosecution unit

The Greens want to step up the prosecution of crimes committed online, such as child pornography and drug or weapons trafficking. The ZIT cybercrime unit at the Frankfurt public prosecutor general's office is to get more staff for this.

The Greens want to fight crime on the internet more strongly. This includes child pornography and trade in drugs or weapons. A special office in Frankfurt deals with this. It should get more staff.

Decriminalize petty offenses

The Greens do not want minor rule violations to be punished with prison sentences, which would also ease the burden on the courts. In their view, riding without a ticket and so-called dumpster diving should no longer be crimes.

The Greens no longer want to treat small violations as crimes. One example is riding without a ticket. Another is taking food that stores have thrown away. This should give the courts less work.

Prevention: juvenile justice centers and protection from violent offenders

The Greens want to do more to prevent crime. They plan additional Häuser des Jugendrechts (juvenile justice centers) and a risk management system meant to stop violations of restraining orders and protect women and children from violence.

The Greens want to stop crimes before they happen. Young people should not become criminals. For this, there should be more juvenile justice centers. There, police, courts and youth services work together. Women and children should be better protected from violent offenders.

Strengthen rehabilitation in prisons

The Greens regard reintegrating prisoners as the main goal of the prison system and as protection against new crimes. They want to expand programs in prisons, pay inmates more for their work, and avoid jail time for unpaid fines more often.

Prisoners should live without crime after their release. For this, the Greens want more support in prison. This includes education, counseling and therapy. Prisoners should get more money for their work. People who cannot pay a fine should not go to prison for that reason.

Expand victim protection and support

The Greens want to give crime victims better support during and after proceedings. Support organizations are to receive more funding, and Hesse's victims' fund is to be made permanent and expanded.

The Greens want to help victims of crime better. Support centers should get more help. Victims should quickly get advice, therapy and money. A state fund for victims should stay and grow.

Grüne: all 16 points with quotes and page numbers

SPD

Program for the 2023 Hesse state election

  • Economyleaning more state (-1), from 3 points

    Points per step: 0 clearly more state, 3 leaning more state, 0 balanced, 0 leaning more market, 0 clearly more market

  • Civil liberties and securitybalanced (0), from 5 points

    Points per step: 0 clearly civil liberties first, 2 leaning civil liberties first, 1 balanced, 2 leaning security and order first, 0 clearly security and order first

  • Societyleaning progressive (-1), from 1 point

    Points per step: 0 clearly progressive, 1 leaning progressive, 0 balanced, 0 leaning conservative, 0 clearly conservative

More police presence and digital police technology

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.

Raise police pay and count the police allowance toward pensions

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.

New error culture and a stronger police commissioner

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.

Reform the domestic intelligence service and tighten oversight

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.

Action plan against right-wing extremism, stricter gun law

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.

Better equipment for fire, rescue and disaster services

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.

Modernize prisons, end partial privatization

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.

SPD: all 7 points with quotes and page numbers