Night patrol

Whether it’s permanent criminal duty, police or motorway police – the challenges are diverse and demanding. The documentary series “Night Patrol” accompanies Mainz police officers on their nighttime operations and provides an authentic insight into their work.

“Night Patrol 2.0” consciously tells the police’s everyday life from the perspective of those who experience it. This makes the series and its protagonists approachable and authentic. The camera is up close during police operations. In the second season, the officers from the first season can be seen again, but there are also a few changes. For example, at the old town guard in the Mainz 1 police station: 44-year-old police chief inspector Jan Enders is still on duty, who now looks after security in Mainz's old town with his 24-year-old colleague Lena Bottlender. Chief Detective Dominic Gillot (45) and 27-year-old Detective Inspector Nils Neuhaus solve their last cases together, as Neuhaus will soon be leaving the Permanent Criminal Police Service (KDD) to move to the State Criminal Police Office. A mixed team then investigates in the KDD with the 25-year-old detective inspector Melina Reisel and the 32-year-old Thomas Schwarz.

The third season of “Night Patrol” offers an exclusive and unadulterated insight into the demanding and challenging work of the Mainz police. From the dramatic robbery of the occupants of a car to a physical attack on the driver of a transport service, disturbing burglaries in apartments, characters of the night unleashed by alcohol, to bizarre traffic offenses - the audience is there first-hand when the police and the permanent criminal service work the night shift line up and go on real missions. “Night Patrol” shows the people behind the uniform. What challenges do they face? How do you feel when you make the city a little safer night after night? The police officers are shown as they really are: as people who do their job with conviction, who are trained professionals and who want to come home healthy after a shift.

The "Night Patrol" is coming to the north with the NDR: From August 2024, the successful SWR documentary series was also filmed in Hamburg. The four episodes that were created provide exclusive insights into the police work of the Hanseatic city. The "Night Patrol" stands for an authentic and unadulterated insight into the demanding and challenging work of the police officers. From the Davidwache to Bergedorf In Hamburg, ten officers are accompanied - on their nightly missions on duty at the Davidwache in St. Pauli, with the water police at the port of Hamburg, in the permanent criminal investigation service and with the police at the police stations in Hamm and Bergedorf. The documentary series shows up close the people behind the uniform, who are repeatedly confronted with dangerous and challenging situations in their duties.

With the 5th season, “Night Patrol” returns to the Mainz police headquarters. A further six episodes of the SWR series have been filmed in Mainz from April 2024 till August 2024.

In the 6th season of the ARD documentary series Nachtstreife, the focus once again is on the Hamburg police. Six response teams, featuring both familiar and new faces, provide insight into their nightly routines. Police officers from various precincts, the Criminal Investigation Department, and the 'Auto Poser Unit' show how diverse, demanding, and often emotional police work can be in a major city. From suspected arson to daring burglary cases, and even a tragic discovery of a body, the Hamburg police handle a wide range of incidents.

With the 7th season, “Night Patrol” returns to the Mainz police headquarters. Produced by SWR, filming started at the end of February '25 and was completed on June 19th 2025. (SWR)

The popular ARD documentary series Nachtstreife is expanding its 8th season to include Ludwigshafen in Rhineland-Palatinate, alongside its previous locations in Mainz and Hamburg. Filming began on December 8, 2025, and will follow six police teams from the Ludwigshafen 1 and 2 stations, as well as the Criminal Investigation Service, until March 2026. Officers will wear body cameras and take the film crew along on their night shifts, offering a close-up view of police work in the city. The new season, produced by SWR, is expected to air in 2027. (SWR)