Drama in Weißensteiner Straße: Drunken woman attacks the police!

Drama in Weißensteiner Straße: Drunken woman attacks the police!

in Weißensteiner Straße in Schwäbisch Gmünd occurred in the night from Saturday to Sunday a worrying incident, which put the local authorities on alert. At 00:05 a.m., the police were called to a dispute between two people. The focus was on a 25-year-old woman who was heavily alcoholic and seemed in a psychological state of emergency. According to the Rems-Zeitung the woman behaved extremely aggressive throughout the incident.

The police were faced with loud shouting and insulting behavior. She even tried to spit on the officials and tried several times to meet an official with head thrusts. In view of this dangerous situation, the emergency services were forced to take relevant measures. So the woman was put on handcuffs and she was transported to a special clinic, but she continued to resist during the transport.

lack of dealings with psychological crises

The situation in Schwäbisch Gmünd raises questions about dealing with the police with people in psychological crises. Such incidents are by no means unique in Germany. Experts have been warning of inadequate preparation of the police officers for such situations for years. An analysis of Asks the state shows that there have been numerous tragic incidents in recent years, in which police officers reached force in mental exceptional situations.

Between 2019 and 2023 at least 37 people in Germany were shot by police officers in such crises. A secret report by the police in North Rhine-Westphalia calls for a "more robust" police and puts the trend towards the use of violence, while de-escalation and communication are pushed into the background. This leads to a worrying development that can not only have fatal consequences for those affected, but also for the civil servants themselves. According to the Tagesschau there is no uniform training standards for dealing with mentally noticeable persons.

need for action for the police

The demand for better training for the police is getting louder. Even if some federal states have already introduced programs for training in dealing with mentally ill people, there is often a lack of money and staff. The reports of missions that ended with fatal consequences show that there is an urgent need for action.

The events in Schwäbisch Gmünd underline the complexity and challenges that the police are facing in such extreme situations. It remains to be hoped that the teachings that are necessary will be drawn from these incidents in order to enable both the officials and the citizens to have a safer future.