The Bavarian branch of the Deutsche Polizeigewerkschaft (German Police Trade Union, DPolGGerman Police Go Pantless To Protest Uniform Shortage) created a video featuring pantless officers on April Fool’s Day, but it wasn’t just for a joke.
According to reports, the video was posted on Instagram and YouTube accounts owned by the state of Bavaria’s chapter of DPolg.
The video shows two officers seated in a cruiser. They each ask each other, “So, how long have you been waiting?” One says she has waited four months, and the other says he has waited six months.
They then exit the police cruiser, revealing that they are wearing a uniform complete with shoes, a duty belt, and a hat. However, they did not wear their pants.
Jürgen Köhnlein, chairman of the Bavarian DPoIG, appears in the video to inform viewers that while the video may sound like the worst April Fool’s joke ever, it points out a serious issue.
German police go ‘pantless’ in union video to protest uniform shortage https://t.co/1xUlVQ7C06
— Police1 (@PoliceOne) April 4, 2024
Reports also claim that Bavarian police officers have been dealing with a uniform shortage due to a supply chain issue.
“Bavaria’s police are stripping bare and could be left standing without trousers,” Köhlein said. “Since 2020, we have hardly been talking about shortcomings in the quality of uniforms, but rather a shortage in the availability of uniforms.”
In a press release by the police union, Köhnlein said that 21 uniform parts, such as trousers, jackets and caps, are only available with wait times of several months.
He also added that officers often work in their last pair of trousers with no backups available if something happens to them.
The union called on Bavaria’s Interior Ministry to look for a solution quickly, even if it would require additional costs.
However, the ministry claims that the shortages have worsened due to supply chain disruptions.
A German police union released a video with officers walking pantless to express frustration over the dearth of uniforms. It says a lack of respect for those in uniform has left cops in Bavaria with their pants down. https://t.co/io4sl9dB62
— DW News (@dwnews) April 3, 2024
“The supply bottlenecks for uniform parts are a major annoyance for us,” a spokesperson for the ministry said. “The state had outsourced procurement of uniforms elsewhere but plans to take over the process with a new logistics center to avoid future shortages.”