[DM] Berlin is struggling to recruit enough German-speaking police officers amid a surge of migrant applicants.
The president of the city's police force Barbara Slowik Meisel revealed that 40 per cent of applicants failed a German language skills test.
She said that this had created a dilemma for her and the force, as the city is in dire need of new cops but cannot afford to lower its standards.
Ms. Slowik Meisel told local media: 'We have applicants, but we also have high standards that we cannot lower.
'[As police officers] we have to explain our police actions day in and day out... and also possibly document things in writing.'
She said that around a quarter of 1,200 entry level positions have been left unfilled since 2025, adding: 'We are facing extremely fierce competition for suitable applicants, and the emphasis is on suitable.'
Figures showed that of the 240 cadets who began training in spring 2025, more than half required additional tutoring in German.
Berlin has the highest proportion of officers from a migrant background of any force in Germany at 37%. |