Hamburg is planning a revolutionary exchange about mentally ill perpetrators!

Hamburg is planning a revolutionary exchange about mentally ill perpetrators!

There is an important topic on the agenda in Hamburg: dealing with mentally ill people who potentially pose a danger to themselves or others. In view of the tragic knife attack at the main train station at the end of May, in which a 39-year-old woman injured 15 people, the interior authorities have initiated a series of measures. This woman, who had been released from a psychiatric clinic in Lower Saxony the day before, had already drawn attention to herself through acts of violence. The incident has highlighted the urgent need to improve communication between security and health authorities, explains NDR.

Hamburg's interior authority is now planning to present a proposed resolution to improve cross-border cooperation for the upcoming interior ministers' conference in Bremerhaven. The aim is to reduce the risk of harm from mentally ill people. The aim is to introduce a common framework for risk assessment and cross-agency risk management. These proposals are based on the federal government's coalition agreement, which provides for an early risk assessment.

Joint efforts for greater security

A central element of the plan is the establishment of a national competence center for risk assessment that brings together experts from police and psychology. The Competence Center for Risk Assessment (KORIS) has been in place in Hamburg since October 2024, which continuously evaluates evidence of psychologically abnormal people and consists of around 30 specialists. Despite this initiative, it was not possible to ensure the necessary exchange of information during the knife attack at the main train station; the perpetrator was not listed there. This leads to a tiny but significant insight: better access to relevant data is urgently needed.

The Association of German Criminal Police Officers (BDK) supports the Interior Authority's proposals and sees promising approaches in carrying out mandatory medication checks and additional therapy offers after closed accommodation. For example, an obligation to accept therapy offers and medical monitoring could reduce the risk from mentally ill perpetrators.

A European look at mental health

The problem is not only local, but also has national and international dimensions. According to WHO, there are over 150 million people living with mental illness in the European Region, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing gaps in care. The newly formed Mental Health Alliance aims to improve care and reduce stigma. It aims to create a new framework to pool insights and change societal attitudes towards mental health.

Amid these challenges, exchanges between different institutions are crucial. The issue of information exchange between social and judicial authorities and the police will also be addressed at the Health Ministers' Conference in Weimar. Hamburg is actively committed to finding cross-border solutions to minimize the risk of danger.

Overall, it can be seen that a coordinated approach and exchange between specialist authorities is essential in order to do justice to the complexity of mental illnesses and to ensure the safety of everyone. The Hamburg initiatives could potentially serve as a model for other federal states to find solutions in this sensitive area.

What will happen next in Hamburg? The coming months will show whether and how the new proposals can be implemented to better help people in crisis situations and at the same time increase the safety of the general public.