New Year’s Eve in Cologne: Surveillance, a Massive Police Presence, and a Zero-Tolerance Strategy

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The following report from German TV discusses the conditions that were necessary for the annual New Year’s Eve celebrations to take place in Cologne. In order to return to what was considered normal just a few years ago, the authorities were required to spend large quantities of money to deploy more than ten times the number of police last year. And the government naturally had to increase the surveillance of its citizens even further.

Many thanks to Nash Montana for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Transcript:

0:00   More and more young men are pushing forward at the exit
0:03   for the Cologne city center. About 150 North Africans arrived
0:06   all at the same time at the main train station,
0:09   Unlike last year, they are not allowed to get onto
0:12   the Dome plaza together; each individual is being controlled [checked for ID] by the police.
0:15   During which there is a lot of discussion, and multiple arrests.
0:20   On the other side of the Dome many aren’t aware of the police operation.
0:24   “There is so much love on the plaza,
0:27   nobody can push through and try to do bad things, no chance!”
0:31   “It was so special to sing here,
0:34   and to watch the fireworks…”
0:37   But before the great party, people have to first pass through
0:40   one of the fifty admission controls.
0:43   Whoever lights fireworks has to leave the zones in the city center.
0:46   Others go to parties …(?)
0:50   Many went directly to the clubs here at the Cologne ring [like an inner beltway];
0:53   the police are present here as well.
0:58   Towards 2am the streets empty out fast around the Cologne train station,
1:01   quietly and peacefully, just as the police like it.
1:04   It’s a fact that we have 1,500 policemen
1:07   and women on active duty right now,
1:10   and that was a good thing, especially when one looks at the situation
1:13   around the train station, where a lot of young North Africans arrived,
1:16   whom we monitored and had to check,
1:19   and we even called for additional reinforcements.
1:22   Video surveillance, police presence, and a zero-tolerance strategy
1:25   from the Cologne police: Cologne has learned from last year’s Silvester night;
1:28   the security concept was successful.
 

3 thoughts on “New Year’s Eve in Cologne: Surveillance, a Massive Police Presence, and a Zero-Tolerance Strategy”

  2. No racism at all by the Police. The black girl, with perfect German (ie born/grown up locally), was really pleased with the Police work and her ability to celebrate in peace.

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