I would like to inject a few points here.
The police chief Albers was eventually sacked for his true incompetence, and probably with some grief by his superios.
Albers has made a few miscalculations in the past regarding how much police would be needed to handle certain events, leading to riots or crimes. The big blow, however, was his public handling of the new years eve aftermath. Albers himself, who is also a SPD party member, just like the main party in the current state government, has, for days declared the police was in control of the situation at all times and refugees / immigrants did not play a significant role in those events in Cologne.
Only after ever more witnesses, social media reports, smart phone videos and leaked police reports clearly exposed the opposite, did he admit to it. By that time, his credibility with the public was essentially shattered. And the SecInt of that state, same party, was pretty much forced to act to keep the semblence of being in control.
The guidance of the Cologne mayor for women to change their behaviour here is a shame.
There is now beginning a discussion on the implications of police top brass (political figures), officials and also media, not having properly reported this for days, trying to seperate the topics of mass immigration and crime. One leading ciminologist, and I think also leading police union member, is telling how he was told by media not to mention refugess, or else the interview would be aborted. After all, the initial tale of those criminals being pocket pickers using sexuall harassment as a distraction proved to be false as well. Police reports say it was the opposite. These scums were looking for "sexual amusement", also stealing in the process.
All this comes on top of a similar discussion. A few weeks ago, a female german police officer with greek origins (if she were a native, imagine the outcry of racism), has published a book in which she describes her daily routine.
She reports how immigrants of turkish-arabian origin lack even the slightest discipline or respect for police, how police work is deranged by physical attack of those immigrants in groups, and how the police essentially has already partially surrendered to that. There are areas in certain cities, into which police will only go with a force of 10+ officers.
In that context many of the police complain about a complete lack of political support. For years there was a climate where police, whenever engaged in enforcing public order, have been attacked by certain political figures for attacking peoples freedom. And noone properly challanged that view.
Beginning to rise in about October last year, and really picking up now, are sales of publicly available self defence items, like alarm pistols, e-shockers and especially pepper-spray.
While it is also true that police are generally undermaned considerably, I challange the view that it is a financial issue. Even though the german state was making more dept until very recently, it was all against the backdrop of a 5+ year streak of record yearly tax earnings. The money is certainly there, the issue is where it is going.
Besides, I also argue there is not an issue with immigration in Germany per se. There are many groups of immigrants from Europe, South America or Asia who have integrated exemplary and are an enrichment to our society.
With so called "right-wing" political entities on the rise on the sentiment public official are not telling the truth, it'll be interesting to see if there's a continuation of "don't admit there's a problem, it will only help the right", or if some decide to tackle the issue.
Germany in 5 years won't be the same country that was there 10 years ago and we all have a picture of that in our heads...