Insufficient Federal Police Force to Ensure Vaccine Security

The federal police are currently facing a multi-faceted challenge, with the protection of COVID-19 vaccination centres being just one of the tasks on their agenda. Sven Hüber, the federal police representative of the GdP union, has expressed concerns about the feasibility of using federal police officers as escort protection for the vaccine, and has also called for prioritisation of vaccinations for these officers.

According to Hüber, around 2,000 federal police officers are regularly in quarantine, which could impact their availability for various duties, including the protection of vaccination centres. He has also highlighted the need for mutual assistance or support from neighbouring countries such as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, a request that has already been made.

Hüber has also raised concerns about the potential for attacks on vaccination centres, suggesting that these risks should be assessed by state criminal offices. He has emphasised that security risks are not primarily due to theft, but could potentially be targets of attacks.

The GdP representative has also expressed doubt about the availability of federal police officers to protect the vaccines, stating that some politicians may overestimate the manpower of the federal police, likening it to the Chinese People's Liberation Army. However, he has also stated that the federal police could become active in the event of a request for mutual assistance or to support state police if the LKA deems a police deployment necessary and the numbers are sufficient.

It is worth noting that the health departments are responsible for protecting vaccination centres and could hire private security services for this purpose. The current border situation also remains tense, with reinforced patrols in place.

Hüber has also called for more realism from politics regarding the availability of federal police officers, emphasising the need for a more pragmatic approach to the use of these resources.

The photo accompanying this article is of the Federal Police, as provided by dts Nachrichtenagentur.