Münster's chief of police suspended a SEK officer in November because of alleged right-wing extremist and violent content on the cell phone. When investigating the case, the investigators are now encountering a larger group - with consequences.
The police in North Rhine-Westphalia is shaken by another case of a chat group with right-wing extremist content. Eight police officers are being investigated, seven of whom are still part of the special task force (SEK) in Münster. The eighth accused is now in another authority, said police chief Alexandra Dorndorf at a press conference. The chats - created between 2013 and 2018 - were apparently partly right-wing extremist, glorifying violence and sexist. The men of the SEK from Münster are between 39 and 56 years old.
Dorndorf was shocked by the case. She promised to turn "every stone" and clear up the case completely. A total of 20 police officers were involved in the chat group, but they did not share all criminally relevant content. According to the police, the eight suspects were suspended in the morning. The investigators came across the group after a case from last year. In November 2021, the police reported on a SEK officer who allegedly exchanged right-wing extremist content glorifying violence privately via a messenger service with a Bundeswehr soldier. The public prosecutor's office in Münster examined the case, but found no criminal offense because the statements were not made public.
In the further disciplinary checks against the 38-year-old there were now indications of a chat history over the years 2013 to 2018 with 20 participants. "Not everyone was actively involved," said Dorndorf at a press conference in the police headquarters. The Münster police initiated criminal proceedings against eight officers, all men, because of the initial suspicion. In addition, disciplinary proceedings are pending. For reasons of neutrality, the Bielefeld police and the higher state office for police training and advanced training (LAFP) are now investigating.
According to Dorndorf, several thousand messages and several thousand photos were found on a total of three cell phones belonging to the officer. The chats were discovered on Monday. It is still too early to assess that, according to the head of the authorities, who has been in office in Münster since May. Not everything has yet been seen on the latest cell phone (until 2021). After a first impression, however, less was communicated within the group after 2018. Two years ago, several chat groups were uncovered by the police in Mülheim/Ruhr, in which, among other things, pictures of Hitler or inflammatory content had been shared. At that time, however, no SEK police officers were involved.
"Every video, every text, every picture must be evaluated. Until then, it is ensured that the officials will not take any action," said Dorndorf. "Since the incidents in Essen/Mülheim at the latest, we in the police have been wide awake and very sensitive. After the investigations in November, we stuck to it and didn't give up," says the police chief in Münster. "We now have a result that doesn't make us happy. On the contrary, we have a result that shakes us."
The content of the chat group had nothing to do with the values of the police. And it doesn't matter, says Dorndorf, that what was discovered is more than five years old. The police union (GdP) in North Rhine-Westphalia is deeply dismayed by the allegations made public today. "Right-wing extremists, xenophobic, violent and sexist views have no place in the ranks of the police, absolutely nothing," said state chairman Michael Mertens.
The GdP welcomes the investigations into the allegations in Münster and the graduated disciplinary procedure: "The experiences from the investigations into right-wing chats in 2020 show very clearly that it is important to consider each individual case," Mertens continued. As always, it is important to beware of prejudice and to wait for further investigations.
If the allegations are confirmed, consistent action is inevitable. "The officials in question will then finally be removed from the service and may also have to answer in court," said the GdP state chairman. You owe that to the reputation of the police, the trust of the citizens, but also to the overwhelming majority of colleagues who do their job in accordance with the constitution and with respect for human dignity.
