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Police officers at a "lateral thinker" demonstration in Munich
Photo: Aaron Karasek / imago images / aal.photo
Comprehensive 2G rules, contact restrictions for unvaccinated people, mask compulsory in many places: the federal and state governments have once again tightened the corona measures significantly.
Now their monitoring should also be guaranteed.
The interior ministers of the federal states have accordingly agreed that the police in many places in Germany will now focus on enforcing the corona rules. This was announced by the interior ministers of Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg, Joachim Herrmann (CSU), Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Thomas Strobl (CDU) at the end of the conference of interior ministers.
Due to the strict restrictions on major events such as visits to stadiums and the ban on Christmas markets in Baden-Württemberg, the number of hours the police are deployed will be significantly reduced, said Strobl. The officers could then be used elsewhere in the fight against the pandemic. He announced several dozen priority controls in his state. There will be more controls in local transport, for example. Strobl is chairman of the conference of interior ministers this year, Herrmann speaks for the Union-led countries, Pistorius for the SPD-led countries.
The police now have to set priorities, the control of traffic offenses is of secondary importance, said Herrmann. He thinks compliance with the corona rules is more important than the fight against parking offenders and speeders. "In fact, a few less cars are checked to see whether they are parked in the restricted parking ban." Corona is about life or death. It is important in all countries to enforce the measures so that they are respected. The work capacity of the police could not be increased at will. "You have to set clear priorities," said Herrmann.
Herrmann spoke of a vaccination rate of more than 80 percent with regard to the Bavarian police.
In the case of predictable operations with citizen contact, priority should be given to colleagues who have been vaccinated, said the interior minister when asked whether unvaccinated police officers should check the vaccination records of citizens.
"The times of the regulatory limbo are over"
Pistorius emphasized that nationwide controls in Germany are not possible anyway.
This applies not only to the fight against the pandemic, but also to all other areas of life that cannot be completely monitored.
In Dresden, the police have already announced a tougher pace towards demonstrators who take to the streets against the Corona measures.
According to Dresden's Police President Jörg Kubiessa, in addition to so-called Corona critics, extremists are also calling for protests in front of the Saxon state parliament on Monday.
On this basis, the risk prognosis for the emergency services will also change.
"The police will take a tougher course - taking into account, of course, the principle of proportionality when choosing our means," said Kubiessa.
The police operation will focus on protecting the state parliament, securing the ongoing operation of the vaccination center and preventing prohibited elevators.
The police want to provide water cannons and station them visibly in the city center.
According to the current Corona Protection Ordinance, meetings and demonstrations in Saxony are only allowed on a stationary basis and with a maximum of ten participants.
Especially in southern Saxony and in eastern Saxony, however, in some cases hundreds of opponents of the corona measures take to the streets.
Critics accused the police and the state interior minister Roland Wöller (CDU) for not being tough enough.
mrc / dpa