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Scenes of violence in Ludwigsfelde: 19-year-old in psychological emergency
On November 3rd, 2025, the police in Teltow-Fläming saved a woman from a mentally stressed attacker. Details about this incident.
Scenes of violence in Ludwigsfelde: 19-year-old in psychological emergency
On Sunday evening there was another police operation in Ludwigsfelde because of a young man who was in a psychological state of emergency. How news.de Reportedly, the police were called because the 19-year-old was acting aggressively against a woman and another man. When they arrived, the man reacted extremely violently, including spitting at an officer.
The officers who intervened were forced to bring the aggressor to the ground with simple physical force, which resulted in the 19-year-old being slightly injured. During the restraint he bit another officer who remained on duty despite the injury. Emergency services were called to assess the injuries of both the perpetrator and the officers. Finally, the 19-year-old was taken to a specialist clinic under police escort while the police filed a criminal complaint.
Mental health emergencies and police
This incident highlights the challenges police face when responding to crisis situations. These are often exceptional psychological situations in which the officers do not know what to expect. Like that Sunday paper explains, the police are often only alerted when the situation has already escalated, for example in the case of suicide attempts or threats.
Police Chief Inspector Markus Eckl emphasizes that threatening officers' equipment is often necessary to protect them. At the same time, there are voices that point out that people in mental health crises need help and should not be viewed as criminals. This perspective is also supported by psychologists, who point out that many people in such exceptional situations could quickly stray from the right path.
Criticism of the police structures
How the police deal with people with psychological problems is a complex issue. According to reports, there have been repeated critical incidents in Germany in recent years in which the police authorities did not respond optimally to emergencies. In 2023, the police were called to provide temporary accommodation in almost 500 cases in Regensburg, although the actual number of psychological crises is probably higher as many cases remain undetected. An official, who remained anonymous, said that there is a significant lack of knowledge and instructions when it comes to dealing with mentally disturbed people, as the data from fragdenstaat.de show.
Additionally, there are concerns that police focus has increasingly shifted from de-escalating measures and communication to “consistent intervention.” This goes hand in hand with the introduction of submachine guns into patrol cars, which only exacerbates the problem. Critics fear that this trend can lead to dangerous situations if officers have to act in highly sensitive situations without the necessary training.
Overall, it is to be hoped that reforms and more training courses for the police will enable them to respond better to such crisis situations in the future in order to ensure the safety of both the officers and the people affected.