Overview
- Justice Ministry published the draft and sent it to states and associations for feedback, with consultations open until January 30, meaning no changes take effect yet.
- The proposal raises minimum prison terms for physical attacks on police, firefighters and rescue workers from three to six months, sets one year for ambush-style assaults, and extends equal protection to medical staff and court bailiffs.
- Judges would weigh harsher sentences when crimes impede community-serving activity, and the draft also seeks tougher penalties for incitement with up to five years in prison and potential loss of passive voting rights after qualifying convictions.
- BKA data show 46,367 registered cases against police in 2024, up 0.3% year over year and 38.5% since 2015, with 106,875 officers affected; Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern reports local increases and expects a further rise in 2025.
- Police unions welcome the move but stress faster investigations, more prosecutors and judges, better identification tools and, ahead of New Year’s, stronger border checks for illegal fireworks, while left lawmakers denounce the plan as symbolic and call for prevention and accountability.