Discussion stirs up over weapon restrictions following Solingen incident
The Federal Interior Minister and the Minister of Justice need to propose a solid strategy to tackle the growing knife attacks among young males, stated Frei in an interview with the newspaper. In his opinion, the strategy could involve creating knife-free zones and strengthening weapons regulations. Moreover, broadening the police's powers, such as conducting random knife searches, could also be incorporated into the plan.
Meanwhile, the German Criminal Police Association (BDK) advocated for a nuanced discourse on addressing knife violence, distinguishing between premeditated attacks and impulsive crimes. "We must dissociate the discussion on increasing knife violence from the incident in Solingen," said BDK chairman Dirk Peglow to the German Press Agency (dpa).
Peglow pointed out that the perpetrator would not have been deterred by knife-free zones or a blanket knife ban. However, most knife violence incidents occur due to heated disputes, and a sizeable proportion of such cases involve escalating conflicts, he added. Peglow also suggested establishing knife-free zones where police could conduct focused knife searches.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) emphasized the importance of focusing on the perpetrators to combat knife violence. According to him, progress on this issue cannot be achieved solely by addressing the weapon itself. Instead, we need to delve deeper by asking who carries the knife and why, he argued in ARD "Tagesthemen" on Saturday evening. Efforts have been made in his state for some time now to thoroughly analyze the incidents and move away from "general debates."
The strategy proposed by the Federal Interior Minister and the Minister of Justice could potentially include implementing more lethal consequences for individuals caught with knives in deemed lethal circumstances. Furthermore, Dirk Peglow from the German Criminal Police Association suggested that focusing knife searches in knife-free zones could make those areas more effective in preventing knife violence.
