Ring in the New Year with extra precautions from the Berlin public prosecutor's office
For the festive season ahead, the Berlin public prosecutor's office is bolstering its emergency response team, enabling a greater presence of public prosecutors on New Year's Eve. Jörg Raupach, the head of the office, announced that four prosecutors will be available at the on-call court—a two-person increase from typical operations. Night-time duty will also see an extra shift from one to three staff members.
According to Raupach, the surprising uptick in support is a necessary precaution, revealing: "We just don't know what's going to happen. Maybe the Middle East conflict will exacerbate the situation at night." The basic principle behind their actions is to safeguard public safety, as Raupach emphasized.
Each of the prepared prosecutors will have specific expertises. Raupach detailed the competencies of the reinforcements, mentioning the familiarity of the lawyers with juvenile criminal law, as well as experience in breach of the peace, arson, explosion use, and pyrotechnics misuse cases.
Drawing a contrast with demos like May Day, Raupach recognized the valuable role an on-site prosecutor can play when evidence gathering is pivotal for arresting suspects, such as with arrest squads and video technology. However, acknowledging the unpredictable nature of New Year's Eve, identifying appropriate locations for deploying these tools becomes challenging.
In the midst of annual uncertainties, New Year's Eve 2022/2023 brought chaos to Germany with riots and violence spreading across the country, including particularly brutal incidents in Berlin. Responding to these acts and the anticipated threat to safety, law enforcement in Berlin has planned to deploy more than 2,800 officers—beyond the usual patrol squads—on New Year's Eve.
Auctioneer of the flare ban zone within Berlin-Neukölln's Sonnenallee and Hermannplatz neighborhood has been suggested. Violence in the area ran rampant last year, even peaking with the Middle East conflict's outbreak, resulting in firecracker tower threw at police and emergency personnel. Firecracker bans have also been implemented in Schöneberg and Alexanderplatz in recent years.
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As long as there is a possibility of unruly behavior or lawlessness on New Year's Eve, public prosecutors need to be prepared for any eventuality. Additionally, the potential for increased tensions and instability in the Middle East could potentially fuel tensions and hostility in other parts of Europe, even Germany, on New Year's Eve. However, the actual impact of the Middle East conflict on New Year's Eve celebrations in Berlin is yet to be determined, as highlighted by Raupach's comments.
The involvement of public prosecutors in handling public disturbances and other related incidents highlights their indispensable role in maintaining law and order, especially during sensitive events.
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