Avoid men, German police association chief tells women
April 22, 2026
A heated debate has broken out in Germany over a remark by the head of a police association who said in a TV interview that women should better "not get into a relationship with a man."
Dirk Peglow, the head of the Federal Association of German Detectives (BDK), made the comment Monday while speaking about the latest criminal statistics in Germany, which show a high rate of violence against women.
Violent sexual offenses on the rise
Peglow's remark came as he was discussing an 8.5% rise in the number of rape, sexual assault and sexual offenses of a particularly serious nature or resulting in death.
When asked by public broadcaster ZDF host Dunja Hayali what his advice to women was, Peglow answered: "Better not get into a relationship with a man."
"If you do, the risk is much higher of becoming a victim of psychological or physical violence," he added.
Peglow told ZDF that in 2024, "statistically at least two women per day were victims of homicide or attempted homicide, and things look the same with sexual offenses."
In an interview with the mass-circulation Bild daily on Wednesday, Peglow relativized his comment.
"My statement was obviously an exaggeration. It was not meant as advice to be taken literally," he said. "The overwhelming majority of men are not violent and are not criminals."
Hayali reports threats of violence after Peglow interview
ZDF's Hayali told news magazine Focus Online in an interview also published on Wednesday that both she and Peglow had received threats.
"Now there are men who do not criticize the rise in violence against women but instead express violent fantasies and threats of violence against my interview partner and me," she said.
The statistics on criminality for 2025 have also caused a media stir in Germany because of the high rate of offenses by foreigners — a figure that experts say must be treated with circumspection.
Although the reports of violent crime, including rape and sexual assault, were up, the number of criminal offenses recorded in Germany overall declined by 4.4%.
Edited by: Sean Sinico