Potsdam’s mayor Mike Schubert expects the establishment of gun-free zones in municipalities to result in increased costs for law enforcement agencies. Above all, employees would have to be trained differently, the SPD politician told the German Press Agency. Increased security is necessary, but it cannot be done “in a hurry”. Planned security measures that the federal government is discussing would also cost more money, said the mayor of the state capital, which is in the midst of a budget crisis.
Since the suspected Islamist knife attack in Solingen that left three people dead, a nationwide debate has flared up about weapons-free zones. In a statement by district administrators and mayors together with Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD), it was recently stated: “As soon as a change to the Federal Weapons Act makes it easier to establish weapons-free zones, we will introduce them in suitable locations.”
Bag checks instead of issuing parking tickets?
Schubert said: “If there are to be weapon-free zones, employees of public order offices must first be trained differently. We must above all work on self-protection if the employees who have previously written parking tickets are to carry out random bag checks for knives in the future.” He also believes it is right to take a closer look at events such as folk festivals.
According to the federal government’s “security package” as a result of the Solingen attack, the use of knives in public spaces is to be further restricted. A general knife ban is to apply on long-distance bus and train travel, at folk festivals and other large events. There is also to be a ban on switchblades – with exceptions for hunters, for example.
Schubert: Greater security does not come for free
According to Schubert, changes in internal security could require more staff and result in higher costs. “When it comes to implementing what the federal government and the opposition are currently discussing at the federal level, and the law enforcement authorities at the local level are involved, then we will also be talking about more staff. That will not be possible with the current staff levels,” he said. “Such things do not come for free. They really cost a lot of money without you really being able to see it.”
City expects loss of 155 million euros
The budget situation of the Brandenburg state capital is difficult anyway. According to current planning, a deficit of around 155 million euros is expected for 2025. “This year alone, the Ernst von Bergmann Hospital will receive around 20 million euros in subsidies from the budget,” Schubert told the dpa. Strenuous budget discussions lie ahead.
“The city councillors will first have to realise that this may not be the time for really big new, additional proposals,” said Schubert. “We will have to limit ourselves. And if we decide that something new is important to us, then something else will have to go in its place. Nothing will help.” Schubert mentioned the heating transition, the municipal utilities, the hospital reform, housing construction and security issues, for example, which are having an impact.
Schubert: Renovation of hospital “a tough nut to crack”
The aging Ernst von Bergmann Hospital in Potsdam is to be renovated in the coming years. “It’s a big job,” said Schubert. “When you see that the renovation of the building with almost 1,000 beds will cost well over 600 million in the cheapest case, then you know that a municipality cannot shoulder this alone, but that we need the state in a catchment area that is not just Potsdam. We have to tackle this together.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240918-930-235645/1
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