NRW events Increase in security
Düsseldorf · Security goes up at big events but organizers worry the number of visitors will go down.
Many festivals and larger events will be taking place in the near future across North Rhine Westphalia and organizers are worried they will have fewer visitors than in previous years due to fear of terror attacks. Concern about the numbers appears to be warranted. At the Düsseldorf Fair, the “Rheinkirmes,” organizers had hoped for around 4 million visitors but only around 3.4 million came.
Security concepts for the “Juicy Beats Festival” in Dortmund on July 29 & 30 are being reworked and at the Crange Fair in Herne which begins August 5th, security personnel are to be increased by 20 percent. Four million are expected there. At the festival in Dortmund, around 50,000 visitors are expected to come.
In Cologne on this coming Sunday, security officials will have another big challenge. Thousands of supporters, but also opponents of the Erdogan government in Turkey are expected to demonstrate.
The North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) Interior Ministry assures that all event organizers have a sense of awareness about security precautions. “After the attack in Nice, the security concept for the “Kölner Lichter” fireworks festival and Düsseldorf Fair were revised. Police showed more presence and in Cologne, some streets were closed to motor vehicles,” said a Ministry spokesperson. In the end, it is up to the organizers to decide on their security plan. “When they say we need more people for protection, then they get more people (security staff) from us.”
The police union in NRW believes that shopping centers, schools and festivals need to be better secured. Union deputy, Michael Mertens says even such “soft targets” need more protection. To fulfill this demand, however, many overtime hours would need to be a part of the plan. NRW Interior Minister Ralf Jäger says tougher laws are not the answer. “Attacks like the one in Munich can hardly be prevented by that.” He added, “We must be careful that we do not at some point start limiting our freedom in favor of security so much that ultimately our freedom gets lost.”
(Orig. text: Matthias Korfmann)
