Bavarian police go pantless in protest of uniform shortage
A video of two police officers in uniform but missing pants has drawn a lot of attention in Bavaria. The police union says the lack of suitable clothes for its officers is not a laughing matter.
The Bavarian state chapter of the German Police Union (DPolG) has released a video showing two officers caught without pants on the job.
In the video two police officers have a brief conversation in their patrol car: “So, how long have you been waiting?” One says she has waited four months, the other says he has waited six.
Then they get out of their patrol car in their underpants.
The police union intentionally released the video to draw attention to a short supply of uniforms available to Bavarian police.
The video was released on April 1st, but chairman of the Bavarian branch of the German Police Union, Jürgen Köhnlein has clarified that the video is not an April Fool’s joke but a serious attempt to highlight the severity of the issue.
The video was uploaded to Youtube and posted on the police union website. It has since been reposted by local news outlets such as Bavarian news portal BR24.
How serious is the uniform shortage?
Köhnlein suggests that some police units in Bavaria have reached the point where officers can no longer work in a decent uniform.
In a press release put out by the police union, Köhnlein said that, "Currently, 21 uniform parts, such as trousers, jackets and caps, are only available with wait times of several months."
He added that in many cases officers are working in their last pair of trousers with no backups available if something happens to them.
Additionally, he wants to prevent officers from needing to wear their winter trousers in the summer.
READ ALSO: Germans strip off for 'No Pants Subway Ride'
Why can't the police find clothes?
The lack of uniforms is reportedly the result of supply chain bottlenecks that have led to uniform shortages since Covid.
The German police union accuses the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior for not sufficiently managing the shortage of uniforms.
For its part, the ministry says that their supply is limited for individual clothing items. In particular, the supply bottlenecks have affected certain types of trousers, such as multi-purpose trousers for summer.
The Bavarian police obtain their uniforms from a logistics centre in Lower Saxony, which is reportedly managing a lot of issues: some textile shops have closed, ordering in large quantities is not always possible, goods with quality defects often need to be sent back, and the Bavarian uniforms have unique colour requirements.
This is not the first time the police union has publicly complained about uniform issues. In 2020, the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior registered hundreds of complaints about uniform trousers that were ill-fitting and low-quality.
According to local news outlet Nord Bayern, a decision was to be made at that time as to whether Bavaria's police force would be equipped with its own logistics centre. Four years later, it seems the issue has still not been resolved.
READ ALSO: Deutsche Bahn rolls out gender-neutral uniform policy
Comments
See Also
The Bavarian state chapter of the German Police Union (DPolG) has released a video showing two officers caught without pants on the job.
In the video two police officers have a brief conversation in their patrol car: “So, how long have you been waiting?” One says she has waited four months, the other says he has waited six.
Then they get out of their patrol car in their underpants.
The police union intentionally released the video to draw attention to a short supply of uniforms available to Bavarian police.
The video was released on April 1st, but chairman of the Bavarian branch of the German Police Union, Jürgen Köhnlein has clarified that the video is not an April Fool’s joke but a serious attempt to highlight the severity of the issue.
The video was uploaded to Youtube and posted on the police union website. It has since been reposted by local news outlets such as Bavarian news portal BR24.
How serious is the uniform shortage?
Köhnlein suggests that some police units in Bavaria have reached the point where officers can no longer work in a decent uniform.
In a press release put out by the police union, Köhnlein said that, "Currently, 21 uniform parts, such as trousers, jackets and caps, are only available with wait times of several months."
He added that in many cases officers are working in their last pair of trousers with no backups available if something happens to them.
Additionally, he wants to prevent officers from needing to wear their winter trousers in the summer.
READ ALSO: Germans strip off for 'No Pants Subway Ride'
Why can't the police find clothes?
The lack of uniforms is reportedly the result of supply chain bottlenecks that have led to uniform shortages since Covid.
The German police union accuses the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior for not sufficiently managing the shortage of uniforms.
For its part, the ministry says that their supply is limited for individual clothing items. In particular, the supply bottlenecks have affected certain types of trousers, such as multi-purpose trousers for summer.
The Bavarian police obtain their uniforms from a logistics centre in Lower Saxony, which is reportedly managing a lot of issues: some textile shops have closed, ordering in large quantities is not always possible, goods with quality defects often need to be sent back, and the Bavarian uniforms have unique colour requirements.
This is not the first time the police union has publicly complained about uniform issues. In 2020, the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior registered hundreds of complaints about uniform trousers that were ill-fitting and low-quality.
According to local news outlet Nord Bayern, a decision was to be made at that time as to whether Bavaria's police force would be equipped with its own logistics centre. Four years later, it seems the issue has still not been resolved.
READ ALSO: Deutsche Bahn rolls out gender-neutral uniform policy
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.