Category: Crowds

Transforming the state, administration and police. What an inspiring day that Dr. Dorit Bosch has designed.

My top takeaways:
Prof. Dr. Dirk HeckmannWe need the will and courage to change, otherwise change will take place, but without us.

Robert KrauseFailure is part of it: sometimes you win and sometimes you learn.

Dr. Dorit BoschFrom powerlessness to power: promoting transformation with positive, constructive energy.

And something else from Robert Krause to motivate us: the "man versus institution" story always works and an Oscar is almost guaranteed. So: let's do it

My personal Conclusion: A great event and a super network of people who stand for change

😊 What an inspiring conversation with former Federal Chancellor Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel 🇦🇹

🔬As part of our research project "20 years of the Federal Police" for the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) I had the great honor of interviewing the former Federal Chancellor today.

🤓 In addition to his exciting contributions to the content of our project, I also personally took an incredible amount from the nuances and side conversations: For example, as a strategic guideline: Oberachieving and Underpromising instead of the other way around ☺️

🤗 I am really grateful to be able to experience things like this, to gain so many exciting insights and to take away memorable #lifelesson.

👀 If you are curious about further content - next year we will submit our research report and then there will be detailed information!

One of the most significant moments in my professional life. I had the opportunity to give a lecture on his life's work with regard to public order policing at the Politieacademie's international symposium "Mit aller Gewalt lernen" in honor of Prof. Dr. Otto Adang's retirement. And he is simply one of the forefathers of modern theories, so it was and is an extraordinary honor for me that he chose me for this task. It's a bit like being a fan of Michael Jackson as a child and trying to dance like him - and then being invited by him personally to perform at his farewell. It's amazing!

For over 20 years, I followed in the footsteps of Prof. Dr. Otto Adang, often without knowing it. Not only did I come to the same conclusions, we were often in the same places without knowing it - he as a researcher, I as a riot policeman. Eventually, my first book "The Role of the Police at Assemblies" brought us together, for which he contributed a chapter together with Dr. Martina Schreiber. He then invited me to teach in his "Public Order" module of the Master's program at the Politieacademie - and I was able to learn from the Grand Master himself - in pleasant, constructive, smart and far-sighted discussions over a good Dutch beer. 

Thanks to Otto, I was able to structure my numerous practical experiences from over 20 years with the USK (as a group officer, group leader, platoon leader or command leader) or in the preparation, planning and implementation of major operations (G7 2015 and 2022), which I have already lectured on in many European countries as well as in the USA and Canada, even better. According to its principles: Know, Support, Communicate, Differentiate (for more see docbb.de or publicorderpolicing.com ), which really contribute to the success of police work in the context of crowds in an all-encompassing way.

Our new book "Public Order Policing. A Professional's Guide to International
Theories, Case Studies, and Best Practices" has been published. It again deals with assembly situations and includes various international perspectives, for example from England, the Netherlands, France, the USA and, of course, Germany.

Here you can download the introduction with the abstracts of all chapters download free of charge.

The book is available as a hardcover or ebook directly from Publisher (click here) or also with Amazon. If you order directly from the publisher, you are supporting my work, so I would be delighted.

After two years of work, it's done - my new book has been published. The introduction to the book and an overview of the authors and contents of the chapters can be here (click) can be downloaded free of charge.

Some reviews have already appeared, including one in the Hessische Polizeirundschau, written by Rudi Heimann, Police Vice President of the PP Südhessen. A small excerpt: "The approximately 380 pages compiled by Bernd Bürger are well worth reading for all police practitioners and anyone who deals with the phenomenon of people in gatherings, assemblies or events on a scientific, strategic and tactical level. And I agree with the editor in his assessment that the content in this condensed form and with a high degree of transfer to practice has not yet been the subject of practice-oriented curricula. It is therefore initially up to each responsible manager to educate themselves with this work and to convey the content in an appropriate manner in order to effectively increase their own safety and that of the emergency services entrusted to them."
Hessische Polizeirundschau 4/22, p. 16.

Hessische Polizeirundschau 4/22, p. 16.

Public safety 7-8/2023

The content:

Assemblies are an important part of democracy and the rule of law. The way a state deals with demonstrators not only has an internal impact, it is also perceived internationally, for example in Myanmar, Belarus, Hong Kong or Russia.

There are often plausible everyday explanations for escalations at gatherings or events where a large number of people come together. However, many of these supposedly deterministic causes, correlations or role attributions have been refuted or overly simplified. This can lead to misinterpretations, negative stereotyping and ultimately to suboptimal decisions. This can have serious consequences, especially in large crowds: The situation can escalate, leading to riots and outright violence.

The aim of this book is to provide an overview of international good practice approaches on how to deal with crowds in a democratic constitutional state. To this end, scientific findings from the fields of sociology, psychology, criminology, ethics and law, among others, are presented in an interdisciplinary manner and illustrated with numerous practical examples.

The book is available here (if you want to support my work, order directly from the publisher and I'll get something):

Or at the local bookseller, who will be delighted.