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“The police cannot be present in all living rooms”
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Government spokesman Seibert on the current situation of the crown
Are other federal states also following the example of Bavaria and tightening the rules of the crown? Calls for tighter restrictions are already getting louder during Christmas and New Years Eve. Government spokesman Seibert spoke about the current situation in the crown at a press conference.
Side-thinker protests and firecracker-free zones: the capital’s police prepare for a special New Year’s Eve. According to the chief of operations, the agents will be “extremely busy.”
reThe Berlin police will not be able to take action against all violations of the crown at private parties or larger gatherings on New Year’s Eve. Police President Barbara Slowik admitted it to the House Committee on the Interior on Monday. “The police will not be able to be in every living room, in every garden, they will not be successful.” Slowik appealed to people’s individual responsibility to behave wisely.
The hundreds of riot police in the afternoon were mainly busy accompanying “side thinkers” demonstrations and similar gatherings and possibly dispersing people with “duress,” Slowik said. In addition, the police must especially protect the Reichstag building. In this context, Slowik also asked for the number of participants in the June 17 demonstration. Currently around 20,000 participants are expected.
Berlin Interior Senator Andreas Geisel (SPD) said of the recorded demonstration of opponents of the Crown measures in the House of Representatives internal committee: “This will not be a normal New Year’s Eve, especially for the Berlin police, facing great challenges. “
Many feared that the recorded demonstration could “in fact turn into a big New Year’s Eve party of ‘side thinkers’ under the guise of a meeting,” Slowik told the “Berliner Morgenpost.” According to Geisel, the police are holding cooperative talks with the plaintiff. The main goal is to enforce protection against infection. A final decision has not yet been made.
At night, the two firecracker ban zones at Schöneberg and Alexanderplatz must also be guarded by the police. Another area, for example Hermannplatz in Neukölln, will not be installed because, according to Interior Senator Geisel, it would mean much more work for the police. Given the general situation of the city, that is not possible. On New Year’s Eve, the police must also keep an eye on vaccination centers and large squares such as Mauerpark, Breitscheidplatz and Potsdamer Platz.
“Maximum utilization”
According to police operations chief Stephan Katte, the riot police units are initially “at maximum capacity”. Normal New Year’s Eve events must be attended by the patrol car crews. A ban on days off for the police on New Year’s Eve is under consideration. However, the police were unable to cover the entire urban area of Berlin. “Being in all places in a metropolis at the same time will be difficult.”
The police are sending up to 1,700 riot police from the task force to work, plus another 900 police officers on patrol. In addition, support has been requested from other federal states and from the federal police. Slowik said, however, that all countries have the same problems enforcing the crown’s rules, so the situation is “completely different than in recent years.” This year, significantly less support is expected. The fire department wants to be on the road with 1500 people.
Geisel emphasized: “We want to avoid large fireworks with multiple people in one place as much as possible.” He admitted that “it was not so easy” in a metropolis like Berlin. The Senate and the police have to “show a clear advantage”, but they must not promise too much.
