City introduces security guard: Now citizens go on patrol

Created: 05/14/2022, 10:05 am

By: Kathrin Böhmer

A security guard is to be set up in Olching.

© dpa

Rioting young people, vandalism and disturbances: In many cities this is increasingly becoming a problem.

A measure should help.

Olching – The police no longer have the capacity to be constantly present.

A project that is unique across the district is now starting in Olching: Citizens should go on patrol.

It's not like Olching has suddenly become the capital of crime, but it's a bit worrying.

For example, there was this incident a few weeks ago, when a boozy celebration of young people at Olchinger See escalated completely.

The group moved through the city to the train station, tore off the license plates from several cars and smashed a traffic mirror.

"When the police picked them up, they were about to throw a flower pot onto the track," reported Maria Hartl (CSU), quite angry in the city council.

One thing is certain: a vessel landed on the street and a driver drove over it because he could no longer brake.

The CSU is alarmed

It is often only minor damage, but it adds up.

Vandalism, disturbances of the peace, young people loitering in parks are also an increasing problem in Olching.

On the CSU side, one is certain: it is a development that one must keep an eye on.

Mainly because the police can no longer afford to patrol the city on foot or to always be on site at hot spots.

Mayor Andreas Magg (SPD) emphasizes: "Basically, Olching is a safe city." But there is no harm in more security.

Most of the city council feels the same way.

(By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular FFB newsletter.)

That's why an experiment is now starting: deputy sheriffs are sent onto the streets.

The initiative came from the police themselves. A police officer from Olching and a colleague recently presented the concept of the Bavarian security guard, which has been in existence for almost thirty years.

158 communities are currently involved, as reported by the police headquarters in Upper Bavaria North.

Olching is now a pioneer in the district.

feared denunciation

Attempts to install the security guard had been made earlier in other towns and communities in the district.

Four years ago, Brucker Mayor Erich Raff promoted the idea with the support of the CSU.

But the other factions feared hooligans with police rights and informers.

In Alling and Eichenau, too, the citizen sheriffs, whom nobody actually wants to officially call that, failed.

A sticking point is that perfectly normal people take on police duties.

In Olching, too, the FDP city councilor Andreas Teichmann or Greens boss Ingrid Jaschke bothered.

Others, on the other hand, argue that the so-called "everyman's rights", as the name suggests, can be exercised by anyone anyway.

You can see that regularly with file number XY, when special cases of civil courage are shown again, said SPD city councilor Fritz Botzenhardt at the meeting.

For example, when a boy is saved from a sex crime because a courageous citizen snatched him from his supposed father (who was not).

Anyone can apply

One thing is certain: In principle, anyone between the ages of 18 and 62 can apply to be a security guard.

After a selection process, the candidates are trained by the police.

They work on a voluntary basis in trouble spots, act as contact persons and give citizens a sense of security and call the police in critical situations.

But they can also arrest people who catch them in the act, send them off and, if necessary, check their personal details.

In Olching they now want to spend a year looking at how this works.

The police will then take stock.

If the deputy sheriffs, whose costs are borne entirely by the Free State, prove their worth, this could save the city costs.

The private security service, which is currently doing its rounds, is then to be scaled back.

Incidentally, this also provided some with an argument for the security guard: Here the police can choose the people.

The security service has no control over this at all.

Also interesting:

You can find more current news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.