The DEFA comedy tells the story of small town policeman Holms who suffers from a rather unusual problem: Because of the low crime rate, there is simply not enough to do for him. Deadly bored, he sinks into the depths of depression and requests the help of a psychiatrist. But his imagination is far more effective: In his dreams, he chases gangsters in London. Finally, some small-time crooks find a way to help "their" policeman out of his emotional misery: They steal a memorial from the market square and thus help Holms to a spectacular case.

"Hände hoch – oder ich schieße!" was banned in the GDR and despite numerous alterations and cuts never entered the movie screen. It was not until 2008/2009 that the original version of the comedy was completely reconstructed on the basis of the screen play.