Dissolved German SWAT unit wrecks office with chainsaw

COLOGNE, Germany, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A German police department said members of a SWAT unit dissolved for alleged misconduct drunkenly trashed their offices with a chainsaw.

Cologne Police Chief Wolfgang Albers Cologne announced Tuesday the Spezialeinsatzkommando unit, a German SWAT team, was being dissolved after allegations emerged that officers had hazed new recruits.

Members of the unit held a barbecue outside their office Tuesday as a farewell event and officials said the officers became heavily intoxicated.

The drunken officers destroyed the common room of their offices with a chainsaw and one rode a motorbike through the hallway.

"They said they were taking back what belonged to them," a police spokesman told newspaper Bild. "We are investigating further."