31 January doesn't have to bring back memories, as many people in this country associate the date with the two young police officers Yasmin and Alexander, who were shot dead in cold blood while carrying out their duties near Ulmet in the district of Kusel. That was three years ago. Even after this period of time, the memory of this terrible, arbitrary act of violence has not faded for District Administrator Dr Theophil Gallo.
"It is important to me that we in the Saarpfalz district remember Yasmin and Alexander in particular these days. Even if another ten or twenty years pass, there will be no words of comfort for the bereaved families, friends or colleagues in the police force. But as outsiders and sympathisers, we can express our respect for the life and work of the police officer through our inner attitude. They wanted to ensure order and safety and because someone didn't like it, Yasmin and Alexander had to die. That is and remains inconceivable. The same applies to the young police officer Rouven Laur, who was fatally injured in a knife attack in Mannheim on 31 May last year, whom I would also like to remember. I welcome the announcement by Interior Minister Reinhold Jost that he will be taking on additional police officers to relieve the Saarland police force. Regardless of who bears political responsibility in the government, everyone must do everything they can to ensure that the police can maintain the quality of their work and meet current and future requirements," says District Administrator Dr Gallo.