Police in the city of Kiel allegedly collectively stopped pursuing cases where refugees were caught shoplifting because it was too much work to get them prosecuted.

Local newspaper Kieler Nachrichten Thursday reported police officers in the city were instructed to not pursue minor offenses such as shoplifting and property damage. Prosecuting the refugees is hard in cases where they don’t carry proper identification documents.

Police documents state a threshold was established where “serious cases of theft and personal injury” should be treated equally, regardless of the perpetrator’s origin. The decision was made in October after several shoplifting cases turned out to be dead ends.

Kiel’s Police Chief Thomas Bauchrowitz denied the allegations at a press conference Thursday. He said “a criminal complaint was filed in every case.”

Police departments around the country have been under fire for covering up crimes after the sexual assault scandal in Cologne on New Year’s Eve was exposed. Officers are scared that the truth will come across as “politically awkward” and benefit the anti-immigration movement. (RELATED: German Police Allegedly Covered Up ‘Syrian Refugee’ Status Of NYE Sex Assault Perpetrators Because It Was ‘Politically Awkward’)

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