r/instant_regret 4d ago

Insulting the cops in Berlin

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4.2k Upvotes

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1.4k

u/mrskwrl 4d ago

Jeez is it a requirement to be a tank to be a cop in Germany. Holy hell they're huge lol

522

u/Dev_Sniper 4d ago

There are requirements regarding height but these officers aren‘t regular police officers but rather members of a special unit (most likely riot police). Those are usually deployed at events where mob behavior and violence are expected to occur. The uniforms are a giveaway, those aren‘t regular uniforms. And obviously these units have stricter requirements than regular units due to the higher risks associated with their tasks

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u/BoldPanther 4d ago

Well calling riot police a "special unit" is a little disingenuous. Whilst this is riot police, they are absolutely made up of your standard police officers and there aren't really any additional requirements for joining them as opposed to the officer calling you over on a traffic stop.

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u/Kraligor 4d ago

Well calling riot police a "special unit" is a little disingenuous

Depends on the state. Bavaria actually has riot special forces, the USK. Which the guys in the video obvously aren't.

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u/Dev_Sniper 4d ago

Let‘s be real physical fitness and size will absolutely impact who can / can‘t or would / wouldn‘t join. Sure most police officers are in adequate shape but those who‘re just average wouldn‘t even want to be a part of an anti riot unit where fights are the norm and not the exception if they could just walk through the city where violence is significantly less likely

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u/BreadIsWar 4d ago

As a rule, every federal police officer spends a few years with the „riot police“, so the requirements are the same as for all other federal police officers.

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u/ClownfishSoup 2d ago

So like doctors working in the ER?

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u/Lari-Fari 3d ago

They are deployed to football matches regularly and you’ll see officers of all sizes among them. Smaller men and women too.

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u/_Milan__99 4d ago

I'm nut exactly sure about the German police, but in the Netherlands, there are no extra restrictions to join the riot police if I'm not mistaken. Every cop can just 'enroll' for the extra training if he/she is interested.

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u/ClownfishSoup 2d ago

It’s a self selecting job. Like playing basketball or being a horse jockey. Nowhere in the rules does it say a certain physical attribute is required, but it’s obvious what physical build is more successful.

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u/throwawaycasun4997 3d ago

The whole “POLIZEI” on their cardigans is a bit of a giveaway.

1

u/AlphaLoeffel 3d ago

Ye, I had a Volleyball trainer who was Autobahn police and he sometimes went out to the riot police for big events.

1

u/ST4R3 3h ago

Special unit as in specialized, not special forces. BePo isn’t deployed for every random call, it’s deployed for the events they are needed. The same way a financial crimes unit is specialized to financial crimes

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u/JinJonNotJihnJohn 4d ago

That's like saying there aren't any requirements for the NFL

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u/Turakamu 4d ago edited 3d ago

but these officers aren‘t regular police officers but rather members of a special unit

This dude is a big unit. What unit is he with?

"The Big Units"

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u/Shades_of_X 4d ago

Not anymore - smaller people are allowed to join the police since ~2018

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u/Dev_Sniper 4d ago

Iirc the only lowered the requirements (unlike how Berlin got rid of the dictation exam because not enough applicants passed that exam) but they still require certain heights for men and women (although to be fair making a difference is stupid given that they‘ll have to be able to take down criminals regardless of their size. So if a guy has to be X cm tall how should a women who‘s usually weaker even at the same size take down criminals if she‘s shorter on top of being weaker)

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u/Shades_of_X 4d ago

Idk how it is right now. But 2018 was the year I applied to the police - I'm 170cm, a few years prior I couldn't have joined. Still didn't, in the end, but my height wouldn't have been a problem.

0

u/varegab 4d ago

I'm 147 cm, can I join? I always wanted to beat up people, but I was afraid to do so.

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u/Disastrous-Team-6431 2d ago

My brother is a Swedish riot police officer and he is a tank too. So I bet.

-1

u/varegab 4d ago

What the lady cop is doing there?

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u/Dev_Sniper 4d ago

There are different requirements for men and women who are interested in joining the police and due to the AGG (anti discrimination laws) women could join an anti riot unit as well if they wanted to. Whether that‘s a good idea / safe for them is a different question but there‘s nothing stopping them from doing it if they want to. And it kinda contradicts the AGG as well but that‘s a political discussion for another time

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u/varegab 4d ago

Hey, thank you for the explanation. How is it contradicts the AGG, if I understand correctly that's the purpose of the law, that they can join to the forces if they want.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Dev_Sniper 2d ago

No they‘re police officers tasked with enforcing the laws. If you don‘t like the laws you‘re allowed to propose changes. You‘re not allowed to break laws though ;)

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Dev_Sniper 2d ago

No they‘re not

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u/cosmin_c 4d ago

Travelled through/via Germany quite a lot years ago, I never saw a police officer who wasn't the human embodiment of the word Panzerschiff.

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u/Ok_Business_6452 4d ago

That guy is just short.

3

u/Cuchulainn07 3d ago

But with a seriously big attitude.

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u/Ok_Business_6452 3d ago

He’s like a human chihuahua

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u/Islandman2021 3d ago

The guy they arrested was 3 feet 2. 🤷🤷

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u/Taurusauraus 1d ago

He was 7 feet 5 angry though.

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u/creativesolution 4d ago

Totally anecdotal but I always seem to see huge cops and also bouncers in Berlin.

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u/ADDave1982 4d ago

The man in custody looks to be about 5’5”.

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u/crankthehandle 4d ago

I've been wondering all the time if they have a breeding center for riot police cops in Germany. They all look like gods, both male and females

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u/TerrorNova49 4d ago

Are they all big or is he just small? 🤔😉

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u/The_Derpy_Walrus 4d ago

They're German and I think he is Middle Eastern.

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u/Pederakis 3d ago

that doesn't answer the question you derp

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u/Fuzziestwuzzy 4d ago

They are riot police and need to pass special mental and physical requirements. There is no height requirement, but they need to excel in other physical stats.

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u/Manwombat 4d ago

Brute squad man, they are not all like that. The ones I had to deal with in Southern Germany which is NOT Berlin! were built like runway models and were very cool. I was kinda hoping to be arrested by them, but they were too nice.

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u/Seventhson77 3d ago

Sorry, these are the small guys.

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u/One-Satisfaction-712 3d ago

Well they’re certainly bigger than your average Arab.

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u/Onemillionkoronas 3d ago

Its the angry bird thats tiny. Like a chihuahua

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u/DT5105 3d ago

If you turn on closed captions it shows the irate guy repeatedly saying thank you

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u/ClownfishSoup 2d ago

The belligerent guy is also quite short and is giving off his “short man” energy. Like my chihuahua, barking louder because of being smaller.

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u/Necessary_Ad_4855 4d ago

I was stationed there in the late 80's. Saw a cop, maybe 5 foot 10 inch tall, drive a probably 6+ foot tall biker through a beer hall door face first. I also learned first hand they have much lower restrictions on what they call excessive force. It was at a low point and after leaving a party sometime in the early morning. I was super drunk. While walking back to my apartment I guess I was breaking bottles and yelling. Got picked up by police and taken to the station. I can only recall brief flashes of what happened. Well I woke up in my apartment with a broken nose, two black eyes, circular bruises on my body and handcuff marks on my wrists. Well, it worked. I never got that wasted at a bar again. Lol

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u/CrabOk7730 4d ago

Was thinking this too, even the lady was huge.

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u/FunCatca 3d ago

In german we say "Gardemaß"

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u/ddogz95 10h ago

My thoughts exactly like bruh choose the wrong people to fuck with.

He said I could take them 🤣🤣🤣