- Extensive Tasks for Motorcycle Police Officers in the Lüneburg Heide
Riding atop steeds, always respectful: The Lower Saxony police safeguard nature and wildlife in the heath and along the Elbe throughout the summer. Time-perfectly aligned with the blossom, police equestrians survey the happenings in the Lüneburg Heath. "Over Wilsede, there's a multitude of individuals during weekends," states Martin Koopmann, the head of the mounted unit in Hannover. The 59-year-old has served alongside these animals for 39 years, and his steed goes by the name Pirol.
From August to late September, officers traverse the nature reserve. They oversee the forest, moor, and heath territories while ensuring compliance with traffic regulations. They also make certain hikers adhere to the outlined paths and keep their canines leashed. According to Koopmann, this year sees a significant increase in e-bike users: "The more people there are, the more careful we must be."
The threat of forest fires imposes a ban on smoking and barbecuing within the nature reserve, a rule the officers dutifully enforce. They also examine carriages and equines in transit through the South Heath Nature Park. Furthermore, mounted police officers serve as points of contact for tourists heading to the heath bloom in large numbers.
Typically, the riders are swapped out after approximately four weeks by colleagues from the state capital. This year, only female officers are serving in Bleckede in the Elbe floodplain. They guard nature and its guests from May to the tail-end of August.
In the summer months, the Lower Saxony police officers on horses oversee the vibrant bloom in the Lüneburg Heath. During this period, they rigorously enforce the ban on smoking and barbecuing to prevent forest fires.
