Anyone applying to the police should pay attention to what they are doing on Facebook and Co. One post has now become the undoing of an applicant from NRW.
Dortmund – Facebook can now be used as a reason for rejecting an applicant for a job. This is what happened to the Federal Police with an applicant from North Rhine-Westphalia. The administrative court in Aachen has now confirmed the authority’s approach.
| authority | Federal Police |
| president | Dieter Romann |
| head office | Potsdam |
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Police cancels applicants from NRW – because of behavior on Facebook
The federal police had doubts about the character requirements for the job after the applicant’s likes and posts appeared on Facebook. The prospective police officer had already received a confirmation of employment in September 2021 in March 2021.
But afterwards, the applicant’s activities in social networks such as Facebook became an exclusion criterion. Employees of the Federal Police found, among other things, a “like” under a caricature showing a man wiping his buttocks with a rainbow flag. A “middle finger emoji” on the occasion of a driving ban imposed on police applicants also attracted negative attention.
NRW: Facebook-Like causes rejection by the police
The prospective police officer did not want to accept the subsequent job cancellation and went to court. He relied on the fact that he had already received a confirmation of employment with the federal police. But the district court in Aachen did not accept that. The “like” under the caricature rightly aroused doubts about its suitability for the profession of police officer.
The reason according to the court: The job of the police superintendent is “particularly shaped by contact with people of different ethnic origins, religions and worldviews, from all walks of life and with different sexual orientations.”
The federal police do not have to hire applicants because of their Facebook behavior
By clicking on the associated “Like” button on a picture with clearly homophobic content, it becomes clear that the applicant lacks the tolerance and neutrality necessary to carry out his official duties without regard to the person. As a result, the federal police are no longer bound by the employment commitment.
The judgment of the Aachen district court is not the last word in this case. The police applicant can lodge a complaint with the Higher Administrative Court in Münster against the decision.
List of rubric lists: © Federal Police Careers via Facebook
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