Month: October 2014

The EDL (European Democratic Lawyers) is promoting an European Campaign to sign a petition directed at the European Commissioner, European Commission and the Human Rights commision of the European Parliament, asking them to take the necessary measures to adopt an European directive for the identification of police officers on the basis of a preceding decision of the European Parliament.

Our intention is to collect the highest number of signatures in all member states and then hand it to the European Authorities.

In the petition we ask the European Authorities to take the necessary steps and introduce a debate aiming at adopting a directive or framework decision in this matter and give a response to the problem of the visible identification of police officers.

The aim being to avoid the violation of fundamental rights, safeguard the rights of the defense, the independence of judicial power and its role of control as well as to banish from everyday life the impunity of criminal actions of police officers and their administrative and political superiors with the following criteria:

I.- The general obligation of identification on the uniforms of all police forces.

II.- Simple and clear visibility of identifications, based upon precise dimensions and specifications.

III.- The establishment of an obligation for all police officers to identify themselves at the demand of a citizen.

IV.- A clear system of sanctions for offenders

sign the petition

Here is the video of the campaign on the identification of the police

BELGIUM There is a generalized obligation for police officers to carry a nameplate with a name, level and police unit. This norm is not always respected and disciplinary sanctions are envisaged for those who do not wear the nameplate.

FRANCE Since the 01/01/2014 the general obligation exists to wear a white stripe with a number composed of 7 digits.
The are now sanctions envisaged for those do not wear the identification.
The recent introduction of the norm does not permit to monitor its effects.

GERMANY The Federal Police does not posses any identification number, but in the different states (Länder) legislation varies.
In most of the German Länder police officers are free to decide to wear an identification label.

In Berlin, police officers are obliged to wear a name tag or an identification number.

In Sachsen-Anhalt the general obligation exists, but the special units in charge of demonstrations are exempted from this general obligation.

HOLLAND Police officers in uniform are obliged to carry a nameplate on the uniform. During public order policing they wear a number on the helmet.
The nameplate is part of the uniform, but it is possible to hide it in certain circumstances.
There are no particular sanctions for those who do not carry an identification.

ITALY There is no norm containing a system of identification of police forcers.
A proposal exists for a law concerning the identification of police officers during their public order policing.

SPAIN There is a general obligation to wear the nameplate, except during public order policing. The law is not always abided, but no sanctions are envisaged for those who do not wear the identification.
There are significant regional differences.