Tannenbusch, Castell and other parts of the city in focus Bonn police launch new strategic manhunt
Bonn · As of Friday, the Bonn police will again be allowed to check persons without concrete suspicion. The background of the strategic search is the fight against pickpocketing and drug dealing, especially in Tannenbusch.
Police Commissioner Frank Hoever has once again ordered a strategic manhunt for his agency. This allows police officers to check people without concrete suspicion for 28 days from 9 June. The focus is on the districts of Tannenbusch, Castell, Nordstadt, Südstadt, Weststadt and the centre of Bonn, where police say there is an increase in pickpocketing and drug dealing. "I have ordered the measure again in order to gain more in-depth knowledge about the groups of offenders operating in the Bonn city area and then to be able to fight them better," says Hoever. But the manhunt is controversial.
The police are concerned with averting danger, as Hoever explains. Specifically, the officers are allowed to stop people, question them about their identity and inspect objects and vehicles. Most recently, the Bonn police ordered a strategic manhunt in winter. Hoever saw the success confirmed: The measure had led to a decrease in the number of cases of housebreaking and pickpocketing.
Drugs are an issue, in Tannenbusch in particular
Hoever now refers to pickpocketing again, but also to the citizens' sense of security, which he wants to improve. In 2022, the Bonn police recorded an increase in pickpocketing cases of 384 cases, or 38.7 per cent, compared to the previous year. In 2023, the number of cases has decreased slightly compared to the previous year, but is still at a high level compared to the five-year average, the police report. The districts of Castell, Nordstadt, Südstadt, Weststadt and Zentrum are particular hotspots.
Drug trafficking has repeatedly led to complaints in Tannenbusch, according to the police. In 2022, clashes between rival groups of offenders for dominance in the local drug trade culminated in a shooting on 30 October. During a raid in March, three suspected drug dealers were arrested and about nine kilogrammes of marijuana, 900 grammes of heroin, 700 grammes of cocaine, about 75,000 euros of suspected deal money and a firearm were seized. The Bonn police have been countering the situation since January this year with the "police action programme for crime control in Tannenbusch". Other places of drug trafficking in Bonn that have been known for many years are the areas around Bonn's main railway station as well as the green areas at the Hofgarten and the Old Customs.
Strategic search is controversial
The strategic search is controversial. The black-yellow state government anchored it in the NRW Police Act in 2018. It must have a reason and be limited in time and location. After 28 days, it can be extended for the same period of time, which recently happened in Bonn. The Greens, the CDU's coalition partner in the state parliament, are sceptical about the measure. They consider the encroachment on civil liberties too far-reaching when measured against the results.
Original text: Nicolas Ottersbach and Sofia Grillo / Translation: Mareike Graepel
