A new survey of police across the European Union has revealed that many officers feel totally unprepared to handle another large wave of migrants. citing too few personnel and resources.
The report comes from a survey conducted by the European Police Union (EPU) which asked police officers from Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria a variety of questions in late 2016. According to the survey, many police complained about being far too poorly equipped to deal with the migrant crisis, noting how many migrants slipped through undetected Die Welt reports.
EPU head Gerrit van de Kamp also warned that the lack of resources could have allowed jihadists to smuggle themselves into Europe undetected.
Police who had contact with migrants also faced issues with communicable diseases. The report states that 45 officers in Italy had developed tuberculosis because of their contact with migrants and were not given proper vaccinations.
In Germany and the Balkan countries, officers complained that migrants had become increasingly violent and many said that they felt abandoned by politicians.
“Europe is fighting against illegal border crossings, crime, an influx of refugees and terrorism more than ever before,” van de Kamp said.
Niksa Nikodinovic, one of the authors of the study, said that there is a large problem with equipment for officers in the eastern European states stating that some officers were forced to wear seven to eight-year-old uniforms.
He also showed an example of a checkpoint which resembled a small shed saying, “Ask yourself the question: Can a Serbian, Romanian or Bulgarian policeman in such a uniform, who serves in such a rat-infested shelter on the border, do a decent job?”
“They want to stuff normal uniforms and not plastic bags into their boots to seal them,” Nikodinovic added.
Police across Europe have been overwhelmed by the migrant crisis and many continue to be overwhelmed by crimes attributed to migrants. The most well-known case occurred on New Year’s Eve in 2015 in Cologne where police were unable to prevent over 1,000 sex attacks.
The Swedish police force has also seen great problems with funding and getting no-go zones under control. In one Swedish state, which is the size of neighbouring Denmark, budget cuts have reduced the force to a single police car.
Some Swedish politicians have called for drastic measures to counter the increasing lawlessness in the no-go zones, including a proposal to send in the military to support the police.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.