Turn of the year - Renewed violence against emergency services feared on New Year's Eve
Lower Saxony's police are once again preparing for attacks on emergency services on New Year's Eve. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the police are preparing intensively for the situation. In urban areas in particular, they will be on site in accordance with the situation. "Despite these efforts and preparations, attacks on the emergency services must unfortunately also be expected on New Year's Eve," it said.
Interior Minister Daniela Behrens appealed to people to be careful with fireworks. "Every year, thousands of people suffer injuries, some of them extremely serious, due to incorrect handling. I would also like to make it very clear once again at this point: violence against firefighters, rescue workers and police is absolutely unacceptable," emphasized the SPD politician.
Anyone who observes such behavior should distance themselves from it immediately so as not to hinder the emergency services in their work, the minister demanded.
Last New Year's Eve, the police in Lower Saxony had to deal with a total of 3245 operations. This included 34 attacks on members of the police, fire department and rescue services.
The Ministry of the Interior does not believe that there is an increased risk this year against the backdrop of the escalation in the Middle East conflict. "The security authorities currently have no indications that would suggest a specific threat situation." However, the security authorities in the country are keeping a close eye on the current situation in the context of the Middle East conflict.
According to Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, there has been no increase in attacks against emergency services over the course of this year. Nor do they expect a significant increase compared to the previous year.
"However, every attack is one too many," said Johanniter. The association hopes that the publicity campaigns of recent months will take effect and that people will remain aware that rescuers should never be the target of physical attacks.
The State Association of Private Rescue Services in Northern Germany (LPR-Nord) called for attacks on rescue workers to be punished with severe penalties. The threat of punishment should generally apply to violence against rescue workers, regardless of New Year's Eve or the use of pyrotechnics, said LPR-Nord Vice President Florian Reinhold, who is also President of the umbrella organization BKS. A lack of willingness to work on New Year's Eve has not yet been seen among the emergency services.
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- In addition to the police, the fire department and other rescue forces in Lower Saxony are also on high alert for potential incidents on New Year's Eve.
- The escalation in the Middle East conflict has not resulted in any significant increase in criminality towards emergency services in Lower Saxony, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
- Daniela Behrens, the Interior Minister of Lower Saxony, urged people to be mindful of firework safety and condemned any violence against emergency services, including firefighters, rescue workers, and police.
- Last year, there were 34 incidents of violence against emergency services in Lower Saxony on New Year's Eve, making up part of the total 3245 operations handled by the police.
- The Hanover fire department, a part of the overall emergency services in Lower Saxony, is also preparing for potential incidents during New Year's Eve celebrations.
- Florian Reinhold, Vice President of the State Association of Private Rescue Services in Northern Germany (LPR-Nord), called for severe penalties for those who attack emergency services, emphasizing that this is not just a New Year's Eve issue but should be treated as a serious offense.
- Despite annual campaigns to raise awareness, emergency services in Lower Saxony, such as the Hanover fire department, continue to face incidents of violence during holiday seasons like New Year's Eve.
Source: www.stern.de
