Overview
- Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig proposed lifting the minimum prison term for violent attacks on police, firefighters and rescue personnel from three to six months, with at least one year for ambush attacks.
- The draft extends similar protections to medical staff and caregivers and seeks tougher responses to threats and violence against volunteers, municipal politicians and Members of the European Parliament.
- Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt endorsed the plan, while police unions welcomed tougher penalties but pressed for faster prosecutions, more personnel and tools such as high‑resolution cameras.
- Official BKA data for 2024 reported 46,367 registered cases and 106,875 affected officers, marking a 38.5% rise in violent acts against police since 2015 and the highest totals since records began.
- Left-leaning commentators criticized the timing and warned of risks to protest rights, and the changes will not apply on New Year’s Eve because the Bundestag must first pass the law, following earlier reforms that failed to reverse the trend.