As of: March 18, 2024, 12:16 p.m
By: Stefan Aigner
Comments
Press
Split
The conditions at the main station were an issue in the Regensburg city council.
At the request of the Interior Minister, the police were not allowed to provide official figures.
Regensburg – Exact figures are available.
But they were not allowed to be named when the assembled top brass from the Upper Palatinate police headquarters and the Regensburg police came to the city council last week to comment on the situation at the main train station.
Statement without valid figures: Official statistics may only be published after the Interior Minister's press conference
The problems there, especially in the nearby Fürst-Anselm-Allee, were already an issue in the state parliament, but before the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) announced his reading of the police crime statistics (PKS) for Bavaria on March 18th , the Regensburg police forces are also prohibited from making public the figures that have long been available.
The Fürst Anselm Park near Regensburg main station is now considered a problem area.
© IMAGO / Schöning
And so Police Chief Thomas Schöniger, his deputy Robert Fuchs and the representatives of the Regensburg North and South police stations use figures from the police input statistics to give the city councilors an impression of developments in the station area.
Input statistics instead of PKS: Why these numbers should be treated with caution
However, these figures should be viewed with caution.
The PKS, which has so far been kept secret, records facts that have been passed on to the judiciary for criminal prosecution.
The data quality of these numbers is therefore high.
The alleged crime is usually already clearly defined.
The police entry statistics are different.
This only shows the status immediately when the criminal complaint was filed.
On the one hand, the numbers are higher than for the PKS, as reports are also shown here that do not later turn out to be crimes - in Regensburg there was recently an alleged rape reported that turned out to be fictitious and another that was in the meantime there are also doubts.
(By the way: Our Regensburg newsletter regularly informs you about all important stories from the world heritage city and the Upper Palatinate. Sign up here.)
My news
A four-year-old has a tumor in his head – parents ask for help reading
Deaf to noise: Three US nerds declare war on Putin with a cheap drone read
“Detailed explanations are due”: Lauterbach Ministry is giving away almost a million euros – by reading the mail
EU obligation to renovate decided: What now applies to German homeowners read
Two million euros fine – Munich Airport plays a crucial role in arrests
No longer available: Aldi is taking the entire product category off its shelves
Crime at the main train station increased by 30 percent
The relevant offense can also change in the initial statistics.
For example, a simple theft can turn into a robbery or vice versa.
However, these numbers are meaningful in that developments and tendencies can be clearly seen.
Overall crime in the station area increased by over a third compared to the previous year.
There was a similarly high increase in crimes of brutality such as robbery or bodily harm.
Only thefts fell slightly.
Problems at Regensburg Central Station: Many things have been going on for a long time
The security situation in the area around the station has worsened significantly since the summer of 2023, says Police Chief Schöniger.
One way or another, the main station has been in focus for many years.
On the one hand, “social fringe groups” stayed here – homeless people, alcoholics, drug addicts, substitutes, people with psychological impairments and asylum seekers.
That alone causes “a certain discomfort” in many people, even if nothing happens.
In addition, there is drug trafficking and the phenomenon of “procurement prostitution”, which is not entirely new, or dealings within the milieu.
Tightening since summer 2023: Drug trafficking more aggressive, more street crime
In the meantime, street crime in particular has increased, said Schöniger.
Drug crime, robbery, assault and sexual assault, which according to initial statistics have even doubled.
The drug trade is generally carried out more aggressively and offensively.
According to police information, the majority, more than half, of the offenses punished in the BTM area involve the purchase and possession of cannabis.
“But you also get everything else you want.”
More crimes at the main train station: A lot of it happens “within the milieu”
A large proportion of the crimes take place “within different milieus,” says Schöniger’s deputy Robert Fuchs.
Nevertheless, it still happens to uninvolved people, for example when criminals take advantage of a good opportunity to rob.
Weapons and knives are often used in arguments between each other.
An anonymized image is shown of an injured woman who got involved in an argument and received a cut on her face.
All of this has an “enormous impact on the population’s sense of security,” says the police chief.
You can't accept that.
Crime at the main train station: Big problems with “multi-intensity offenders”
An unpleasant truth that will be discussed again on Thursday: The sharp increase in almost all areas of crime can largely be attributed to a specific group of suspects - asylum seekers from Tunisia, often so-called "multiple intensive offenders".
According to Schöniger, they committed “crimes of all kinds” and were characterized by a “lack of respect” for the police and the judiciary.
His deputy Robert Fuchs presents diagrams showing that Tunisian citizens are significantly overrepresented in all areas of crime.
He speaks of the “aggressive antisocial behavior” that one is confronted with.
This is a “whole new dimension” for the Regensburg police.
Tunisians in focus: “We think very carefully about when we name a nationality.”
According to the diagrams presented, a group of Tunisians also form the clear majority in drug trafficking, accounting for around two thirds of the crimes.
It is repeatedly suggested that there are gang-like structures behind it.
Fuchs documents the division of labor between dealers and couriers with images.
“We think very carefully about when we call a nationality,” says Fuchs.
Take the press code as a benchmark.
In this case the decision was clearly made to do so.
Also in the interest of all the people who come here from other countries and for whom there are no abnormalities or even remotely similar problems.
But police chief Schöniger also says: “Anyone who believes that all Tunisians in Regensburg are criminals was at the wrong event.”
Crime at the main train station: “Never before such a police presence”
Since October there has been a coalition of police, judiciary, city and other actors who want to counteract the developments at the train station under the heading “Strong together for Regensburg”.
The Regensburg police have “never” shown such a presence at the main station over such a long period of time as they currently do, said the police chief.
In cooperation with the Regensburg public prosecutor's office, according to the presentation presented, 46 were taken into custody, 31 charges were brought and the first verdicts have now been issued.
Two suspended sentences of seven and eight months respectively for theft and drug offenses, and an 18-month prison sentence for theft and sexual harassment.
Measures against crime at the main train station: “preventive, repressive and urban planning”
As further countermeasures, the police are relying on expanding video surveillance: additional cameras would like to be installed on Bahnhofstrasse, western Albertstrasse, at the Obelisk, Schwammerl, Kepler Monument and Preacher's Column.
They are working "constructively" with the government of the Upper Palatinate - Upper Nature Conservation Authority - to get "contemporary lighting" in the park that does justice to species protection - there are five different species of bats in the castle park.
It doesn't seem to be foreseeable whether this will work this year.
Overall, it is necessary to take a “preventative, repressive and urban development approach” in the station area, according to Schöniger’s position.
“We as the police cannot solve the problem alone.”
Crime at the main train station: redesign, street work and other bushes
Mayor Gertrud Maltz-Schwarzfischer then lists a number of measures that have been taken or want to be taken.
She mentions thinning out the park and planting thornier bushes to make drug bunkers more difficult, firmly anchoring the benches (which have currently been completely removed) to prevent the possibility of narrowing or blocking paths, and increasing the use of municipal law enforcement.
The mayor mentioned that they had increased street work and wanted to launch mobile youth social work in the area (a decision that was made at the request of the Brücke against the resistance of the coalition and the youth mayor).
“Something will also happen this year” at the station forecourt.
They are also checking how the fountain near the obelisk can be “started again”.
This requires a “significant six-figure amount” for which funding opportunities are currently being sought.
“Political debate escalated more than the situation at the main train station”
The use of women's taxis at night is being examined - at the request of the Greens - and everyone is emphasizing that we are "on the right track", but that the whole thing is "a marathon" in which we are still at the beginning.
Green party leader Daniel Gaittet says he would have liked the city councilors to have been provided with valid information earlier and brought up to speed.
“That might have rationalized the debate a little.” In some places, this debate “escalated more than the situation at the train station.”
By the way, the next time we'll talk about the main train station in Regensburg is on March 20th.
Then the Bavarian Interior Minister has made his appearance - and the Regensburg police are finally allowed to publish valid figures.
You can find more news in our brand new Merkur.de app, now in an improved design with more personalization functions.
Directly available for download, more information can be found here.
Are you an enthusiastic user of WhatsApp?
Merkur.de will now keep you up to date via a new Whatsapp channel.
Click here to go directly to the channel.