Police students who enrolled in a short training programme called 'Wachpolizei' were seen training at a police academy in Bautzen, Thursday, to help local authorities handle the refugee crisis.
The future members of the Wachpolizei, which in Saxony will total 550 personnel by 2020, get a 12-week training programme. At the end of the scheme they will be able to help police in monitoring refugee centres. For normal police officers in the German state, training takes three years.
Members of the Wachpolizei are trained in self-defence, shooting and they also gain knowledge of the law. One of their main duties is guarding refugee centres.
SOT, Stefan Walther, Saxon police spokesperson (German): "As a reaction to the situation in which the Saxon police found themselves during the refugee crisis of 2015, the lawmaker decided on a law on Wachpolizei , and thus reintroduced the Saxon Wachpolizei. Since 2016, we are training colleagues, who are employed in the police."
SOT, Stefan Walther, spokesperson of Saxon police (German): "550 job positions for the Wachpolizei were created, with the aim to completely fill those positions within the timeframe of the law. Until 2020 we will train up to 100 colleagues four times a year. These members of the Wachpolizei are employed for two years, with the possibility to be taken into the official police training programme after one year."
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