Too Long a Ruler: Student Discovers Police Blunder - Berlin police probe 15-metre ‘rulers’ handed out at local events
Berlin police are investigating a batch of promotional rulers after a student discovered a major error. The 15-centimetre rulers, handed out at events near me, were found to be over 15 metres long. Parents first raised concerns about the mistake in December 2025.
The police ordered 10,000 rulers in November 2023 for distribution at events from 2024 onwards. The total cost for the batch was around €3,500. Authorities clarified that the items were never meant for precise or scientific use.
A tip-off came from the parents of a boy who noticed the error. Their child had measured one of the rulers and found it to be 15.003 metres instead of 15 centimetres. Despite the obvious mistake, no details about the manufacturer have been released. Police have since confirmed they are looking into how the error occurred. The investigation remains ongoing, with no further information provided at this stage.
The rulers were part of a promotional campaign and were not designed for accuracy. The incident has led to an official review of the production process. Authorities have not yet announced whether the faulty items will be recalled.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
