Police union calls for better protection at airports
In light of the hostage-taking at Hamburg Airport, the deputy federal chairman of the German Police Union (DPolG), Heiko Teggatz, has called for better protection at airports. "It is difficult to understand why Christmas markets, for example, are secured with concrete barricades, and our airports, as high-security areas, are neglected by operators," Teggatz told the German Press Agency on Sunday. Politicians are doing too little to force operators to provide more protection.
"I also miss an initiative from Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser," said Teggatz. "Obviously, no one is seriously forcing airport operators to ramp up security measures so that incidents like this simply can't happen anymore." After climate activists recently blocked several German airports, he had already warned that the quality, height and strength of the fences were inadequate.
"As a lesson from the current incident, I expect that we will now take a close look at this and drastically raise standards," emphasized Teggatz. It must be possible to impose sanctions on airport operators if the security regulations are not complied with in accordance with the new law for better protection of critical infrastructure.
Regarding the hostage-taking at Hamburg Airport, Teggatz said that he felt the police did "a fantastic job". "They didn't let it escalate and turned a dynamic situation into a static one through long negotiations. That is highly professional."
Despite the heightened security measures at Christmas markets, the lack of adequate protection at airports, regarded as high-security areas, has been a subject of concern. This was highlighted by Teggatz, following the hostage-taking at Hamburg Airport, as he expressed his disappointment towards the inaction of airport operators and politicians in reinforcing security.
Furthermore, the recent blockades of German airports by climate activists have amplified the need for stricter security measures, with Teggatz stressing the inadequacy of current fence quality and strength.
Source: www.dpa.com
