BERLIN

Fifteen active and retired Hamburg police officers are under disciplinary investigation for sharing racist and pro-Nazi messages in online chats, authorities said Tuesday.

Following court approval, the Hamburg Police Department's internal affairs unit conducted simultaneous raids on the homes and workplaces of six active officers, as well as the homes of three retired officers.

Investigators seized numerous electronic devices as evidence.

Seven police officers have been suspended from duty, their service badges and weapons confiscated, and they are not permitted to enter police facilities without a valid reason.

“We will thoroughly investigate these allegations and take all necessary disciplinary measures,” Hamburg Police President Falk Schnabel said in a statement.

“Any form of discrimination, glorification of violence, or xenophobia will not be accepted in the Hamburg Police. The Hamburg Police stands for the values of our constitution,” he stressed.

The investigation stems from two separate cases involving officers between the ages of 44 and 61. Preliminary analysis of the suspects' online chat conversations revealed they had exchanged xenophobic, racist messages that glorified violence and, in some instances, National Socialism, both in private and group chats.

Hamburg Police President Schnabel emphasized the department's zero tolerance against xenophobia and racism and called on all officers to actively intervene whenever they encounter statements contrary to democratic values.

“To this end, we have developed instruments in recent years, including complaints management and the central reporting of right-wing extremism, to consistently investigate every suspicion. Hostility towards humanity and the constitution has no place with us,” he said.