Friday, June 6
Fake traffic stops, real arrests: Berlin police officers accused of robbing drivers
Three police officers in Berlin were arrested on Thursday morning on suspicion of robbing drivers during staged traffic stops. According to prosecutors, the officers are accused of pocketing at least €8,500 across two incidents, and possibly more.
In one case, the trio allegedly took €500 from a driver in Pankow on April 21. Just over two weeks later, on May 8, a second victim in Charlottenburg was reportedly relieved of a significantly larger sum: at least €8,000.
The suspects include a senior police inspector, another inspector, and a constable – all active members of the Berlin police. Prosecutors say they worked with a fourth man, a 45-year-old accomplice, using forged documents to give their fraudulent operations an air of authority.
All four are under investigation for joint organised theft and forgery, carried out as part of a criminal group. On Thursday, their homes in Spandau, Reinickendorf and Tempelhof-Schöneberg were searched, along with rental vehicles used by the alleged accomplice. Police reportedly seized mobile phones and other records, now under evaluation.
The arrested officers were set to appear before a judge at the Tiergarten district court. Meanwhile, internal disciplinary proceedings are also being considered. One can only assume that Berlin’s traffic is stressful enough without uniformed hold-ups thrown in.
