| Joerg
Otto Meier ST. PAULI
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57 years Police station chief, |
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»A police officer who works in this kind of environment is actually on pretty slippery ground. In fact he’s often up to his neck in the mire. If a police officer wants to be respected here, he has to be untouchable.«
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Excerpt: The Davidwache* is in an exposed position because of where it is and the kinds of cases it has to deal with. It’s in St. Pauli, right in the middle of the red light district and there are thousands of legends about it. It’s a kind of solid rock in a stormy sea, where conflicts of all kinds are on the cards and can sometimes escalate in most extreme ways. Optically it seems to defy its surroundings. That word Police, up in a huge illuminated letters, has a two-fold effect: on the one hand it’s a signal to people visiting the area, telling them we’re at their service; on the other hand it’s a warning to criminals that the police are present round the clock! My ideas about how to tackle the problems that arise in this kind of environment were almost forced on me by personal experiences, whereby I acknowledge the fact that doing business with sex - and therefore prostitution as well – is not against the law. Our job is to fight crime and what’s more, to prevent it. It’s not our job, however, to make moral value judgements. It's not our place to pass judgement on those who sell sex – whatever kind of sex it might be. What matters is that in this business too, normal business procedures must be followed, in other words, legally, with due regard to legal regulations. Prejudices and police action based on a demonstration of might alone only serve to harden the opposition and lead to unnecessary escalation. That’s why, in this area, I’m in favour of a police force which works with its head and heart and not just with muscle and might! And so I built up a new team. A team of police officers who always act rationally and are not easily provoked, who keep cool in critical situations and don’t get carried away by their own emotions. ... *) The most famous police station in Hamburg – in the middle of the red light district.
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© Joerg Otto Meier, St. Pauli Portraits |
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