EBM takes stock – police brutality: hundreds of cases in just one year

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In its first year, more than 500 cases of alleged police brutality were reported by the newly established Investigation and Complaints Bureau against Allegations of Abuse (EBM). The chairman of the advisory council advocates more staff and better cooperation with the public prosecutors. In two cases there were charges.

In its first year, more than 500 cases of suspected police violence were reported by the new Investigation and Complaints Center for Allegations of Abuse (EBM), based in the Federal Office for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption (BAK). A large part of these – almost 400 – have already been brought before a court. In two cases there were charges and another case was handled in a diversionary manner, as the Interior Ministry announced in a statement on Monday.

187 procedures were stopped
505 cases involved allegations of assault; in nine cases the use of weapons by the police was investigated, which was associated with life-threatening or fatal consequences. 392 cases were closed under criminal law: the Public Prosecution Service closed 187 cases and 202 cases were not investigated, although these cases were reported to the Office of the Ombudsman, as stated by Meinrad Handstanger, the chairman of the Independent Members’ Council of the EBM, emphasized on Monday.

EBM Advisory Board: No written instructions
To ensure that the new investigative body can conduct independent investigations, the advisory board was installed, which would exercise “structural control,” as Handstanger explained: “It’s about quality assurance.” no knowledge that there are written instructions.” The EBM can “claim that investigations will be conducted quickly, reliably and objectively.” The high number of reported cases shows “that the institution is accepted and trusted. That is in the interest of everyone involved.”

Handstanger also proposed expanding the EBM’s workforce, which currently has 38 employees, including a human rights expert and a psychologist, to ensure interdisciplinary and multi-professional expertise. Instead of the expected 300 cases, significantly more allegations were submitted to the EBM in the first year.

In addition, the chairman of the advisory board argued for better documentation of arrests in police custody – for example in detention centers: ‘These cases of deprivation of liberty take place out of the public eye and therefore a lack of transparency must be avoided. Handstanger can therefore imagine video recordings of people equipped with body cameras. Police officers use these too. Handstanger expects this to have a “de-escalating effect on both sides”.

Cooperation with prosecutors “can be expanded”
The chairman of the advisory council considers communication and cooperation with the public prosecutor’s offices as “expandable”. The EBM reports every suspicious case to the responsible public prosecutor’s office, but is often not sufficiently informed about the reasons why the investigation is stopped or a complaint is filed. “More feedback would be desirable here.” 80 percent of the cases took place at the Viennese public prosecutor’s office in the first year. That is why Handstanger thinks it would be an advantage to “create a separate subgroup within the local prosecutor’s office that specializes in specialized cases.” in suspected police attacks.”

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry responded Monday to critics who previously feared that the EBM investigation would produce “biased results.” This has been “demonstrably refuted by this current balance sheet from an independent and neutral body,” the report said. “The new body also concludes that the majority of allegations of abuse are unsubstantiated or unsubstantiated.”

In the past, parts of the political opposition and NGOs had objected to the fact that the EBM was located within the BAK and thus within the department of the Ministry of the Interior. “The investigators of the Assault Allegations Investigation and Complaints Bureau will continue to carry out their work neutrally and independently, gathering both incriminating and exculpatory evidence in the case of allegations of assault against police, thus making an important contribution to the rule of law in the country. police action,” the Ministry of the Interior said in contrast.

Source: Krone

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