Eckhard Niebergall worked as a police officer for 42 years and is now head of the “Police Trainers in Germany” association. The specialist in explosive situations spoke to FOCUS online about the bloodbath in Mannheim and the question of whether the police officers’ actions were correct.
Germany is still in shock after the bloody knife attack in Mannheim, in which a police officer was also killed. The 25-year-old attacker from Afghanistan stabbed the man with incredible brutality last Friday, most likely for Islamist motives.
Many people are asking themselves: How could this terrorist attack happen in the middle of a market square? Why wasn’t the knife killer eliminated earlier? Would 29-year-old police officer Rouven L. still be alive if the operation had gone differently?
FOCUS online spoke about this with THE expert for explosive police operations: Eckhard Niebergall, head of the “Police Trainers in Germany” association founded in 1996. The 67-year-old (with the Hessian police until 2017) is an instructor for tactics, close combat and personal protection. He develops training programs and trains operational trainers.
“At this point in time, we cannot yet say: This and that went wrong in Mannheim and that we could or should have acted differently in this and that,” said the ex-police officer. “It is far too early for an analysis, despite the video recordings from different perspectives. That would be extremely unprofessional.”
First of all, we need “all factual information, both objective and subjective” about the dramatic incident. This would then have to be analyzed in teams. “Only then can we make serious assessments and draw conclusions from them.”
Niebergall stresses that it was “extremely difficult” for the police officers involved in Mannheim to “get an overview and react appropriately” during the chaotic phase of the attack. He warns: “Anyone who now rants at their desk or at the beer table about what supposedly should have been done better is acting inappropriately!”
The expert points out that at events like the one in Mannheim, there is initially no indication of an impending violent confrontation.
“Everything is cool there, there’s a tent, people are sitting in camping chairs, people are talking, discussing things.” This also has an impact on the emergency services. “They talk to their colleagues about work-related or private matters, whatever.”
Eckhard Niebergall told FOCUS online: “This is not like bodyguards who are constantly wide awake and tense.” The officers on site had “no reason and no information to indicate that an operation might be necessary.” And then, from one second to the next, the situation escalated.
In Mannheim, the situation was not dynamic, but “highly dynamic,” the operations specialist states. In such a situation that arose so quickly and was completely confusing, police officers face major challenges.
“You need a certain amount of time to get an overview, to analyze what is happening, to evaluate it, to make a decision and to translate that decision into action,” says Niebergall. “This process is highly complex and emotionally charged.” The emotional part is of crucial importance.
The 67-year-old: “Especially for young officers without operational experience, who only know such things from police school and who have never trained in simulated combat, such a situation is the hardest thing you can imagine.”
Eventually, “fears for life and survival suddenly come into play,” says Niebergall. “All of this affects the actions of the police officers.”
While there are sophisticated operational concepts for school shootings, preparing for attacks like the one in Mannheim is very difficult, the expert admits. It is only possible to prepare for such situations to a limited extent.
“Police officers can train in all sorts of practical skills, knife defense techniques, Filipino martial arts and so on, but that’s only part of it,” says Niebergall. “The most important thing is the mental attitude towards confrontations of all kinds, from verbal conflicts to the use of firearms.”
If they are attacked from behind, police officers have “very little chance” of being able to react immediately. “There is a significant risk that they will be injured.”
When asked whether the police officer who succumbed to his injuries would still be alive if he and his colleagues had acted differently, Niebergall said: “That is completely speculative at this point in time. A professional analysis is needed first and then we can talk about how the events in Mannheim unfolded and how they can be evaluated in retrospect.”
In general, officers should be aware of their surroundings so that they can “at least plan” an attack. “In the case of Mannheim, however, I think that was extremely difficult because we were still in the middle of a chaotic phase.” It was not a planned operation “where the officers have time, where the distances are clear and the positions are well designed.”
The expert stresses: “There is no such thing as 100 percent security in such operations; there is always a residual risk.” Police officers, especially when they are wearing uniforms, should always be prepared for the possibility of “becoming the target of a violent attack.” “This is not a new phenomenon, but it is a trend that is increasing.”
As chairman of the association “Police Trainers in Germany”, Niebergall works outside the official authorities to ensure that officers who ensure our safety every day are well prepared for their missions. “We want to help our colleagues on the street.” This is not about highly trained officers in special units, but about “patrol officers like those in Mannheim now, who bear the highest risk.”
In the interview, Niebergall criticised the fact that the authorities do not always react quickly and appropriately to certain developments. Especially in terms of operational training, there is “still a lot of room for improvement”, says the former police officer.
As an example, he cites the “European Police Trainer Conference” that his association organized in Leipzig at the beginning of May. The topics discussed included “tumultuous situations, riots and ambushes” and “the lethal use of firearms in extreme situations.”
“I would like to see German police authorities in particular make greater use of such events and send their colleagues there to exchange ideas and gain important experience,” said Niebergall.
He explains the obvious reluctance of the responsible authorities with “ignorance, lack of knowledge, lack of will and financial aspects”. That may sound “extreme”, especially coming from a man who himself served in the police for 42 years like Niebergall. “But,” says the expert, “that is unfortunately the reality”.
