The fences are getting higher, the police are standing by, the security guards have been trained again and digitalization is supposed to play its part: This summer, Berlin’s pool companies are promising even more security, more comfort and shorter queues, especially on hot days in the outdoor pools.
Once again, 2.5 million euros will be spent on numerous security guards in the summer season, as pool boss Johannes Kleinsorg and Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) announced on Monday. The aim is to curb tumults involving unruly teenagers and young men as much as possible.
Other security measures include:
– The controversial ID requirement upon entry was introduced last year and remains. To enter the summer pools, bathers aged 14 and over must show their identity card, driver’s license, student ID or other ID.
– Video surveillance at the entrances to certain pools remains in place. This should make it possible to identify disruptors in retrospect. Bag checks at the entrances also remain. Recently, there have been around 150 house bans per year due to minor incidents. However, criminal offenses were rarely the reason; mostly it was about violations of the house rules and minor thefts. However, stay-at-home orders are difficult to enforce when there are large crowds.
– Up to 20 security guards are also deployed in the large outdoor pools on hot days. In total, there were up to 170 employees from private security companies in all pools on full weekends. There was additional training for the security staff, including with the police and psychological counseling.
– On hot days, the police are once again stationed in front of pools with incidents so that they can intervene quickly. There is a “direct connection” to the police, said Kleinsorg. Weekly briefings are planned.
– At some pools, the fences around the area are raised to prevent climbing over. In certain places, fences should also be monitored with cameras.
– A new call for help app is being tested in the Neukölln and Pankow summer pools, which bathers can use to alert security guards. According to a tender, the app is intended to help improve the feeling of security. With one click, an alarm should be sent to on-site security personnel, who will then be guided to the exact location using tracking technology to help. The two pools in Neukölln and Pankow were the ones with the most problematic incidents.
According to the pools, entrance tickets should be purchased online if possible:
– In the future, all tickets can be purchased and paid for online. They are ten percent cheaper than the other tickets. On hot weekends, employees with hand scanners should also let in bathers with digital tickets. This is intended to relieve pressure on cash registers in particular and avoid the sometimes long queues at the entrance.
– In a test run, from June to August from 10 a.m., there will no longer be any cash registers or tickets purchased with cash in five large outdoor pools in Pankow, Neukölln, Kreuzberg, Insulaner and Humboldthain, but only entry with a digital ticket.
– On the pool company’s website, bathers can see whether the pools are currently empty, almost full or already completely full. The bathrooms are displayed in a kind of traffic light system with the colors green, yellow, orange and red. From orange onwards, tickets will no longer be sold online; from red onwards there will be no entry.
