Defects and areas of fear - Security portal is actively used
The Mängelmelder in the Security portal of the Hessian Interior Ministry is actively used by citizens. Between early February and early July of this year, the portal was accessed approximately 80,000 times, according to a spokesperson for the German Press Agency. Since its launch in February 2023, over 321,700 requests have been recorded on the Security portal.
During this period, nearly 13,300 Mängel (defects or issues) were reported. In addition, there were 344 reports of so-called Angräume (areas where people do not feel safe).
Regarding the Mängel, citizens mainly reported issues with streets, paths, and places. Illegal waste disposal and necessary tree and hedge trimming measures were also topics for the portal. In many cases, a field was also clicked for other issues, where a free text could be entered, explained the spokesperson.
Handling of incoming Mängel depends on the responsible authority, the ministry stated. In many cases, proactive and positive citizen communication is used to improve the situation, offer understanding when a defect cannot be fixed immediately or with significant time delay, or to seek understanding when it cannot be fixed at all.
Angstplätze in urban areas
The processing of incoming Mängel depends on the responsible authority. The ministry stated that in many cases, a proactive and positive citizen communication is used to improve the situation, offer understanding when a defect cannot be fixed immediately or with significant time delay, or to seek understanding when it cannot be fixed at all.
In the case of Angräume, it is evident that these are almost exclusively reported in urban areas, while there have been no reports in forested areas or very rural regions. In cities, green spaces like parks account for approximately one fifth of the reports on Angräume at night.
The spokesperson from the German Press Agency mentioned that the Hessian Interior Ministry's Security portal, especially the Mängelmelder feature, was accessed over 80,000 times between February and July, with many reports focusing on littering and illegal waste disposal in urban areas such as Wiesbaden. To address these issues, the responsible municipality or police in Hesse would often use proactive and positive communication with the citizens, offering understanding for delays in fixing the problems or seeking understanding when they cannot be fixed at all. Interestingly, there's an 'Anxiety room' in the Wiesbaden city hall, which is sometimes used by local authorities for discussing and brainstorming solutions to address 'Angstplätze' or areas of anxiety and insecurity in the city.
