Your friend and helper: Understanding the police in Germany

Welcome to “Your friend and helper: Understanding the police in Germany,” a limited-series podcast from the State Police of Lower Saxony. The series explains different aspects of policing in Germany, from within the police service. It is intended for a general audience. The series introduction tells listeners what to expect from the podcast series as a whole. Willkommen zu „Your friend and helper:...

The first episode of this podcast is about the tasks, principles, and powers of the police in Germany. It features a discussion with Maren Jäschke, the head of a police inspectorate, who provides a general introduction to the police service in Lower Saxony. Die erste Episode dieses Podcasts handelt von den Aufgaben, Prinzipien und Befugnissen der Polizei in Deutschland. In dieser Folge sprechen wi...

Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when you call the police in an emergency? - In the second episode of this podcast, we hear from Friederike Rüppel, a police officer working in one of Lower Saxony’s dispatch centres, to find out more about what happens if you need to call the police in an emergency. Haben Sie sich schon einmal gefragt, was hinter den Kulissen passiert, wenn Sie im Notfa...

Discover the different branches of the police and how each plays a vital role in maintaining public safety. In this third episode, we hear from Kevin Smith, a police officer involved in ongoing professional development, about the various kinds of police and the roles that they play. Entdecken Sie die verschiedenen Einsatzbereiche der Polizei und erfahren Sie, wie jeder einzelne eine wichtige Rolle...

In this episode, we talk with Bodo Mathias, a detective, about crime in general and the role of the detective service. The episode focuses on domestic abuse. In dieser Folge sprechen wir mit Bodo Mathias, einem Kriminalbeamten, über Kriminalität im Allgemeinen und die Aufgaben des Kriminaldienstes. Der Schwerpunkt der Folge liegt auf häuslicher Gewalt.

Within Germany, the police services have a monopoly on the use of force. Today, we hear from Darragh Ulbricht, head of a police station in the centre of a medium-sized city, about the principles underlying police communication, and the rules governing the use of force. In Deutschland hat die Polizei das Monopol auf den Einsatz von Gewalt. In dieser Folge sprechen wir mit Darragh Ulbricht, dem Leit...

The police service has a range of specialist units, from teams highly specialized in weapons and tactics, through canine units, to divers. Today, we speak with Nadine Seitlinger, the head of one of Lower Saxony’s mounted police divisions. We mainly talk about the mounted police, one of the most visible specialized police services. Die Polizei verfügt über eine Reihe von Spezialeinheiten, von Teams...

Ever wondered how the police manage different groups in public spaces? In this seventh episode, Tobias Giesbert, who runs a police station in Hannover, Lower Saxony’s capital city, talks about policing different groups, especially demonstrations. Hast du dich schon mal gefragt, wie die Polizei mit unterschiedlichen Gruppen im öffentlichen Raum umgeht? In dieser siebten Folge spricht Tobias Giesber...

The Lower Saxony police is only one of Germany’s police services. Cooperation across state and national borders is essential for effective policing in many cases. This podcast addresses such cooperation, in discussion with Johannes Wetzorke, a police officer with experience in such cooperation. Die Polizei Niedersachsens ist nur eine von mehreren Polizeibehörden in Deutschland. Zusammenarbeit über...

Ever wondered how the police really operate behind the scenes? This episode features senior police officer Matthias Schwarze, who explains how the police service is structured in Lower Saxony. Hast du dich schon mal gefragt, wie die Polizei hinter den Kulissen wirklich arbeitet? In dieser Folge nimmt uns Matthias Schwarze mit in die Organisation der Polizei in Niedersachsen.

What does it take to become a police officer? In our tenth episode Klas Weber, a police officer at the police academy, explains the requirements and the process candidates must complete to qualify as police officers in Lower Saxony. Was braucht man, um Polizist oder Polizistin zu werden? In unserer zehnten Folge erklärt Klaas Weber, ein Polizeibeamter an der Polizeiakademie, welche Anforderungen e...

We end the series with a slightly different episode. It is longer than usual and features Michael Schmelkus, the podcast guest – who is the only non-police officer in the series – telling a story of the history of the police in Lower Saxony, from the beginning of modern Germany, starting at the end of the Second World War. This is a heavily edited version of a much longer discussion. Wir beenden d...

We are pleased to bring you a bonus episode: the full version of the discussion with the police historian, Michael Schmelkus, which appeared in heavily-edited form as the final regular episode of the series. Diese Bonusfolge enthält die vollständige Fassung des Gesprächs mit dem Polizeihistoriker Michael Schmelkus, das in stark gekürzter Form als letzte reguläre Folge der Serie zu hören war.