A method and arrangement for detecting partial discharges in an electric operating device, wherein electromagnetic pulses are detected by means of a sensor device, a narrow frequency band from a frequency spectrum of the electromagnetic pulses is selected by a filter device, the narrow frequency band is amplified by an amplifier device, and signals contained in the narrow frequency band are compared with a threshold value for the amplitude by an evaluation device, wherein a partial discharge is identified in the event that the threshold value is exceeded.