After attacks on policemen and rescue workers at end of year, re are demands for more severe consequences for perpetrators. "Violent attacks must be punished harder," said federal Justizminister Heiko Maas (SPD).
After incidents of New Year's Eve night in Berlin, new attacks on police occurred. The attacks were "absolutely unacceptable" and would have to be punished consistently, said Maas. He pointed out that relevant law had been tightened up last year. It stipulates that attacks against police officers or or public officials can be sanctioned in future during a "General Service Act" such as a patrol with up to five years ' imprisonment. Previously, this was only possible in connection with an "enforcement act" such as an arrest.
The attacks on New Year's Eve are unfortunately no exceptions, Maas said. "Policemen and rescue workers are brutally attacked daily." The forces of intervention risked health and life to defend rule of law and to help ors. "They deserve our appreciation and our support."
The legal policy spokeswoman of Union faction, Elisabeth Winkel Meier-Becker (CDU), brought possibility of driving bans into conversation. This "often leaves a more effective effect on young rioters than a monetary or suspended sentence". In addition, adult criminal law must always be applied in case of full-year offenders. In young adults under 21, courts can decide wher to apply juvenile or adult criminal law.
"Aggressiveness we haven't experienced yet"The German Firefighting Union (DFeuG) called for more effective prosecution by courts. "Our rescue workers are re to help people to hinder or even threaten m in exercise of ir jobs, must be consistently pursued by judiciary," demanded firefighting union. "From politics, we no longer expect only lip-confession, but at last we did." Not a higher Strafenkatalog must be goal, but straightforward prosecution by courts. "It does not deter offenders if ir behaviour is subsequently dealt with by overburdened courts as a small claims case."
On Monday evening, Berlin district of Neukölln fired young people with fright guns on patrol cars. No officials were injured. On New Year's Eve, Berlin fire brigade complained about massive attacks on emergency forces and emergency vehicles with fireworks. In addition, crew of an ambulance was threatened with firearms. There were injuries in Stuttgart because policemen and firefighters were hindered by firecrackers and rockets at work. In Leipzig around 50 rioters firecrackers, bottles and stones threw on policemen.
"This is an aggressiveness that we haven't experienced in recent years," said Wilfried Gräfling, fire chief of Berlin Fire Brigade. "It is unbelievable that helpers are attacked in this", Berlin police president, Klaus Kandt, tweeted. He "doubts minds of those who shoot people with firecrackers and rockets". The Chairman of Union of Police (GDP) in Baden-Württemberg, Hans-Jürgen Kirstein, said, overall, violence on New Year's Eve in recent years has not increased exorbitantly. But willingness of spectators to report as eyewitnesses has decreased.
Date Of Update: 03 January 2018, 12:02
