The German Police Union (GdP) is issuing a stark warning ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations, signaling a significant escalation in security measures following a series of increasingly violent incidents in recent years. Andreas Roßkopf, head of the GdP for the Federal Police division, cautioned potential perpetrators in an interview with the “Rheinische Post” stating police are “well-prepared” and will “intervene forcefully.
The heightened readiness stems from a string of concerning events during previous New Year’s Eves, marked by attacks targeting law enforcement officers with fireworks and, notably, ball bearings – effectively improvised projectiles. The Federal Police are mobilizing a substantial increase in personnel, particularly at major transportation hubs including Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Hannover.
Beyond standard mobile control and surveillance units and the Federal Reserve Police, authorities are deploying specialist technical teams and what GdP describes as “robust” units specifically trained for managing volatile situations. Helicopter deployment is also being pre-planned as a supplementary measure.
Roßkopf emphasized that the increased police presence is not solely about preventative measures. He explicitly called for a swift and decisive prosecution of those engaging in unlawful behaviour, highlighting a growing disconnect between policing efforts and the judicial system. This sentiment subtly critiques the perceived leniency in sentencing perpetrators of prior offenses, suggesting the union believes stricter judicial action is vital to deter future violence. The deployment also underscores a wider trend of increased militarization of civilian policing in response to perceived threats and a growing political pressure to maintain order, potentially raising concerns about the proportionality of force and the impact on civil liberties.