Senator of the Interior has another fireworks ban zone examined
Following riots with attacks on police officers and emergency services last New Year's Eve, Berlin's Senator for Internal Affairs Iris Spranger wants to set up further firework ban zones. The SPD politician said on Wednesday that it was currently being examined in which areas of Neukölln this would make sense. The media had previously reported on this. The locations would have to be embedded in the "tactical concept", explained Spranger. Last year, the Reuterkiez district near Hermannplatz and parts of Sonnenallee in the High-Deck housing estate were among the hotspots of the riots.
In recent years, there have been three so-called firecracker ban zones in Berlin. Fireworks and firecrackers were banned at Alexanderplatz, the so-called Steinmetzkiez in Schöneberg near Pallasstraße and in some streets in Alt-Moabit. Private fireworks were also banned at the Brandenburg Gate, where a central New Year's Eve party takes place. The Senate issued such bans for the first time in 2019 and believes that they have proved effective.
According to the Senate Interior Administration, extensive preliminary planning is currently underway for the upcoming New Year. According to Spranger, there will be significantly more police officers on the streets than last New Year's Eve. On that occasion, around 1,300 additional officers were deployed.
Berlin cannot hope for support from other federal states because the police are in demand everywhere on New Year's Eve. However, a spokesperson for the Senate Interior Administration said that it was being clarified whether the federal police could provide support. A mixture of stationary measures and flexible intervention is also important.
To enhance internal security during the turn of the year, Senator Iris Spranger is contemplating extending firework ban zones in areas prone to violence, such as Neukölln, following last year's crime-filled New Year's Eve. The need for internal security measures becomes even more crucial as Berlin grapples with limited support from other federal states on New Year's Eve.
Source: www.dpa.com
