German cities cannot guarantee 100% security for Christmas markets, the head of the German City Association, Helmut Dedy, said in an interview with the Funke Media Group (Thursday editions).
Despite a high level of security, the protection can never be fully complete, he explained. Christmas markets and city festivals are places of togetherness and being together. This togetherness should not be relinquished.
After the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg last Friday, increased vigilance is necessary, Dedy said, referring to existing measures such as barriers and blocking off traffic. If private security personnel are in use, entrance or bag checks can also be sensible, he added. Security in the city also includes keeping paths free for rescue and emergency services, often using mobile and flexible barriers for this purpose.
The current chair of the Interior Ministers’ Conference, Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Katrin Lange (SPD), called on the security authorities to take measures to ensure that potential perpetrators who do not fit into a category can be better recognized in the future. She mentioned the Magdeburg perpetrator as an example, who apparently fell through the cracks.
“It must be clear in the future that such perpetrators, who do not fit into the usual categories, can be better recognized in order to ensure the safety of people in public spaces” Lange said in an interview with the Funke Media Group (Thursday editions). This is much more important than the technical question of how many concrete blocks are needed on Christmas markets.