North Rhine-Westphalia Considers Retired Police to Address Deportation Center Staffing Crisis

The government is evaluating legal frameworks for employing retired officers as short-term solutions while facing criticism for inadequate long-term planning.

• The North Rhine-Westphalia government is exploring the use of retired police officers to mitigate staff shortages at the Büren deportation detention center.
• Temporary measures already implemented include reassigning three correctional officers and deploying riot police from Bielefeld to support operations.
• The Büren facility faces unique staffing challenges due to increased detainee numbers and legal requirements for extensive support services under NRW law.
• Long-term strategies include expanding training capacities for correctional service trainees and planning the construction of a second detention center.
• The FDP has criticized the government’s reliance on short-term fixes, calling for systemic reforms to address persistent staffing issues.

3 Articles

Stern DER SPIEGEL WELT