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Away fans of Werder Bremen
Photo: IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH / Kröger / IMAGO/Nordphoto
After criticizing the use of the Wolfsburg police against Werder Bremen fans, Boris Pistorius admitted that the responsible authorities had failed.
»The error culture in a modern police force also means that corresponding errors are recognized and named.
This is the only way to do things better in the future," said the Interior Minister of Lower Saxony (SPD) on Friday.
Werder Ultras were on their way to the Bundesliga game at VfL Wolfsburg (2-2) on Saturday.
At the main station in Wolfsburg, the police carried out searches and personal identification, which the fans found disproportionate.
In protest they traveled back to Bremen.
"Necessary prerequisites" were not met
A report requested by the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior came to the conclusion that "the necessary requirements" did not exist for the so-called control points in Wolfsburg.
"Neither with regard to the danger of using pyrotechnics in the stadium, nor with regard to possible physical altercations between rival fan groups," it says.
"If fans were wrongly searched due to the illegal measure, we apologize," Pistorius said.
The examination showed that the risk forecast and the measures taken by the police were correct in principle and only the selected framework of a control point was incorrect.
A legal requirement for these checkpoints exists if criminal offenses of considerable importance such as serious bodily harm or breach of the peace must be assumed.
"Such an assessment would have been too extensive in this specific case after examining the state police headquarters," the statement continues.
"Disgrace for the football location Wolfsburg"
The police had feared the use of pyrotechnics before the game.
For this reason, the police "carried out search measures to ensure pyrotechnics in clearly defined groups of people, in particular certain ultra-groups".
The handling of the Wolfsburg police with the Bremen fans caused a lack of understanding.
"If guests are treated like that, it can't be in the spirit of spectator sport, football.
This is a development that we really cannot approve of," said Werder President Hubertus Hess-Grunewald on the Sky microphone.
Clemens Fritz, sporting director of professional football, spoke of an "absolute absurdity".
Wolfsburg's sports director Jörg Schmadtke also criticized.
'If that's the norm for officers, it calls the whole police work into question for me.
It can't be that the police intervene before you've even done anything," he told the "Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung".
“I looked at the pictures from the operation.
I am dismayed.
That is a disgrace for the football location Wolfsburg.«
mrk/dpa/sid
