Police unionists for video surveillance at Christmas markets | EUROtoday

The chairman of the police union has spoken out in favor of utilizing video surveillance at Christmas markets in view of the elevated menace of terrorism. In the previous couple of days there have been three arrests on account of doable assault plans.

After three arrests for deliberate terrorist assaults, the chairman of the police union (GdP), Jochen Kopelke, advises that every one Christmas markets be monitored by video.

“Video surveillance at Christmas markets is a helpful tool that should be used intensively using the best technology,” he informed the editorial community Germany (RND). So far, this has solely been the case in remoted instances as a result of preventive video surveillance is usually not doable on account of knowledge safety rules.

Police personnel are closely strained

Kopelke additionally factors out that the police are required to have lots of personnel to guard the Christmas markets: “The presence is enforced by changing rosters, vacation bans and overtime.” These additional shifts couldn’t be maintained completely.

Rainer Wendt, chairman of the German Police Union (DPolG), additionally sees the police presently beneath heavy pressure. “On the one hand, as a result of the Gaza war, police officers are working to protect Jewish institutions. And on the other hand, the federal police cannot provide support at Christmas markets in the federal states because they are tied to the border,” he informed the RND. Those who’re or might probably pose a menace are additionally intercepted there.

Several arrests for Suspicion of terrorism

Most just lately, two younger individuals aged 15 and 16 had been arrested in North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg and a 20-year-old was taken into custody in Helmstedt, who’re mentioned to have deliberate an assault on a Christmas market.

The two younger persons are in custody. Their alleged planning is harking back to the assault on December 19, 2016 on the Memorial Church in Berlin, wherein a complete of 13 individuals died, certainly one of them because of this years later.

However, the final supervisor of the German Showmen’s Association, Frank Hakelberg, assured within the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post”: “The 3,200 Christmas markets in Germany are safe. People should be careful, but not worry.”