Around two weeks before New Year’s Eve, politicians and police in Berlin enter the hot phase of operational planning. On Friday afternoon, Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) wants to inform domestic politicians from all parliamentary groups about the preparations for the upcoming New Year’s Eve and the measures to prevent further outbreaks of violence. Spranger had announced that significantly more police officers should be on duty than a year ago. At that time there were around 1,300 more police officers than on normal nights. Berlin cannot hope for support from other federal states because the police are needed everywhere on New Year’s Eve. However, units are expected from the federal police.
Politicians and police are expecting similar events this year to those in 2022. The mood in Arab population groups in Neukölln and Gesundbrunnen, for example, could also have been heated up by the war in Israel and Gaza.
A ban on firecrackers throughout Berlin is not possible
The extensive pre-planning for the upcoming New Year has been going on for months. It will also be announced shortly in which areas fireworks and firecrackers will be banned for safety reasons. This is not legally possible for the entire city by the state of Berlin because it is a federal law.
Not only is Interior Senator Spranger under pressure, but also Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), who owed his election victory at the beginning of the year in part to the riots on New Year’s Eve and who now wants to prove that Berlin is improving the situation under his leadership Has handle.
Police and fire departments want to work more closely together
According to considerations by politicians and the police, firecrackers could also be banned in parts of Neukölln. There were riots last New Year’s Eve, for example, in Neukölln around Sonnenallee. Firecrackers thrown at the police were also recorded in Schöneberg, Gesundbrunnen and Spandau, as well as in other major German cities. In recent years there have been three firecracker ban zones: at Alexanderplatz, in Schöneberg near Pallasstrasse and in some streets in Alt-Moabit.
On New Year’s Eve, the police and fire departments want to work more closely together to analyze the danger situation and keep volunteer fire departments away from dangerous places. Firefighters, who were also fired at with rockets on previous nights, are to be accompanied by police officers in certain areas. The fire department recommends that its people wear certain protective equipment.
