Be it public utilities services, fire and emergency service deployments, childcare, refuse collection and parks maintenance, cultural offerings, marriages or the supervision of good public conduct: the City of Gelsenkirchen takes on very diverse tasks in a greater variety of different areas than any other organisation. More than 7,000 municipal employees work every day on ensuring that things run well for us all - from A for ‘Abfall’ (refuse) to Z for ‘Zulassung’ (licensing). And for that they deserve our respect!
However, it is unfortunately repeatedly the case that Gelsenkirchen Municipal Administration staff encounter a lack of respect, hostility and, in the worst cases, physical violence. The perpetrators come from all socio-economic backgrounds. It is thus a society-wide problem, which the municipal employees in particular get to feel the brunt of while doing their work for Gelsenkirchen. The City is now launching a ‘Respect’ campaign to underline its clear NO to disrespect and violence towards its workers. Real municipal employees feature on posters, flags and banners in public services buildings and throughout the whole city area, promoting respectful, non-violent interaction. They come from the fire brigade / emergency services, child daycare services, weights and measures, the ‘Gelsendienste’ municipal services, public order, traffic management and the civic ‘BÜRGERcenter’ citizens advice bureau.
This call is being underpinned by the ‘Respect and zero tolerance of violence!’ policy declaration, which Mayor Karin Welge and Staff Council Chair Olaf Meulenberg have jointly signed: All municipal places of work are places of no violence. Any and every form of violence or discrimination will lead to immediate punishment and prosecution.
In addition to this, the City Administration is implementing a series of measures to enhance staff safety, to have an preventative effect and, for the event of any emergency situations, to give them the confidence to act. De-escalation training sessions are, for instance, aimed at creating awareness of danger and providing the staff with the necessary resources. Recognising dangerous situations and altering general environments are also integral parts of the de-escalation training. Furthermore, the City has set up the city-wide ‘Safety’ management group for drawing up a city-wide safety concept, has joined the ##sicherimdienst (safety in public service) network and has introduced guidelines for exercising the relevant laws and pressing criminal charges.