Overloaded public prosecutor's offices in Lower Saxony: Red alert!

Overloaded public prosecutor's offices in Lower Saxony: Red alert!

In Lower Saxony, the overload of the public prosecutor's office is causing worried faces. On July 8, 2025 and in yesterday's broadcast of the NDR program "Hello Lower Saxony" this explosive topic was dealt with more intensively. The challenges facing the judiciary are enormous. The lack of staff makes it difficult to process investigations quickly and thoroughly, which has a negative impact on legal representation and citizens' trust in the judiciary.

A look at the numbers confirms the concerns: at the end of May 2025, around 72,000 open cases had to be processed in Lower Saxony, a backlog that not only affects the public prosecutor's offices in Hanover, but also in other districts such as Celle and Hildesheim. The Lower Saxony Association of Judges speaks of at least 150 missing public prosecutors, while the burden in Hanover is over 170 percent. For prosecutors, this means that in order to process all cases, they would theoretically have to work up to 68 hours per week.

Backgrounds and solutions

The Celle Public Prosecutor's Office, which is responsible for several other public prosecutor's offices, is urgently recruiting more staff. Katrin Ballnus, the manager, points out that the burden is far too high nationwide and is particularly noticeable in her district. The development of open procedures has increased significantly since the corona pandemic; At the end of 2023, there were 73,800 open investigations nationwide, an increase of around 20 percent compared to two years earlier dieniedersachsen.de emphasized.

Justice Minister Kathrin Wahlmann (SPD) is aware of the priority of strengthening the judiciary's personnel. Although new positions have been created in the last two years, the need remains great. The judiciary has not yet received the necessary relief, and thousands of new investigations were filed every year until the end of 2024, while not nearly as many could be concluded. In 2024, for example, 550,735 new procedures were filed; strategies urgently need to be developed to catch up.

Consequences for citizens

What does this mean for the citizens affected? The longer duration of the investigation procedures not only leads to frustration, but also fuels mistrust in the functionality of the constitutional state. One thing is clear: clarifications that were supposed to provide a quick solution are taking a long time. Families and victims often feel abandoned as prosecutors desperately try to cope with the heavy workload.

Another problem that arises in connection with overload is the increase in crime, especially juvenile crime. The increased complexity of the procedures puts additional pressure on already strained resources. The task of asset recovery also remains an important challenge that requires public prosecutors to handle.

In summary, it can be seen that the justice system in Lower Saxony is facing enormous challenges. While some progress has been made, further measures are essential to ensure the long-term ability of public prosecutors to act. An appeal to the state government is essential in order to create the necessary positions and thus get the judiciary back on track. More on this in the current episode of Hello Lower Saxony.