The Green Party’sparliamentary group in the Bundestag called on 12 November 2026 for an investigation into sexism in Germany’s federal police forces. The move follows a ‘dark field’ study on sexual misconduct in the German Armed Forces. A similar survey of the police could help improve prevention and protection for those affected, said the group’s First Parliamentary Secretary, Irene Mihalic, the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
Mihalic referred to a report by the Federal Police Commissioner and also assumed that many cases went unreported. Women must be able to trust that boundary violations will not be tolerated and that they will be protected, especially in security agencies where men still predominate. The former police officer explicitly called for her proposal to cover the federal police forces. Responsibility for the state police forces, by contrast, lies with the individual states.
The Federal Police Commissioner, Uli Grötsch, had already addressed sexual harassment and sexism among police staff in his activity report covering the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025. He saw grounds to investigate possible structural shortcomings and called for further studies into the prevalence, causes and consequences of sexual misconduct. He also stressed the important role of managers in prevention and intervention.
However, a report on complaints cannot, by itself, show how widespread the problem is overall. It records cases brought to the attention of the relevant body. A ‘dark field’ study, by contrast, is intended to reveal experiences that have not been reported. How informative its findings are depends, among other things, on who is surveyed and who responds.
The armed forces study provides the immediate context for Mihalic’s proposal. Around 45,000 service personnel were invited to take part in the online survey; according to NDR and WDR, around 8,100 fully completed questionnaires were returned. Significantly more women than men answered the questions. Looking at their entire period of service, 72 per cent of the women surveyed and 31 per cent of the men said they had experienced verbal sexual harassment at least once.
These figures cannot be used to draw conclusions about the police. They show, first of all, what experiences participants in the armed forces reported. A separate survey would need to be designed and analysed for an investigation of the federal police forces.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced on 11 November 2026 that he would take decisive action in response to the findings. Among other measures, he pointed to a new support service for those affected, which began operating in early November. As far as the police are concerned, Mihalic’s proposal is currently a political demand. No decision has yet been made on whether an investigation will be commissioned, or what form it would take.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).