Problems with the Bonn scene DB records more and more homeless people also in the main station
Bonn · More and more homeless people are spending the night in the subway to the main station, and sometimes even on the platforms. An American student waiting for a train there reports an unpleasant encounter.
An American student will not be taking home any good memories from Bonn's main railway station. The young woman had recently partied with friends in Cologne until the small hours and had taken the regional train back to Bonn. Her train to Königswinter, where she lives with a host family, did not leave for another two hours, so she chose to wait above ground in the main station rather than in the underground station. There she not only experienced fights among drunks, but was also harassed by a person who was obviously on drugs.
She later told the GA that a police officer had advised her to wait in the underground station for her onward journey. "I was very surprised about that. Also, that so many people were spending the night in the station. And that in such a small, peaceful city like Bonn," said the 22-year-old, who comes from Texas.
Spending the night is actually forbidden
Neither the DB nor the Federal Police, who are responsible for the station area, can say anything concrete about the incident that night because no operations were recorded in the systems. A DB spokesperson thinks the student may have mistaken one of the private security guards who were also on duty in the station area for a police officer. But DB had already noticed for some time that there were more and more homeless people in the station area at night. "We have noticed this since the Bonner Loch was covered over." Also that they were spending more and more nights in the subway to Quantiusstraße along the entrances to the platforms and sometimes on the platforms themselves.
In fact, according to DB's house rules, no one is allowed to lie on the floor there. "But as long as no one is inconvenienced, we tolerate sleeping in the subway, especially when it is very cold outside," says the spokesperson. On the platforms, on the other hand, people are always sent away because it is too dangerous. The station building is also locked at night. "We used to have a lot of vandalism. Since the building has been locked, the situation has improved considerably." The spokesperson advises people to contact the police immediately if they are harassed at the station at night.
Christian Fußwinkel from the Cologne Federal Police says the same. "For us as the federal police, the safety of all rail passengers has top priority. By patrolling the station, we show our visibility, take every tip seriously and help where we can. If travellers feel unsafe or harassed, we are on standby as public safety authorities, we punish misdemeanours and file criminal charges." The offices are manned around the clock, and a telephone number is posted on the doors in case of emergency. Of course, dialling the emergency number 110 is always an important and valid alternative.
Again and again, the GA receives complaints about the situation around the station, especially around the subway from Kaiserplatz to Poppelsdorfer Allee. As reported, this pedestrian subway is a source of concern for Bonn's citizens like no other in the city. This was the result of a survey conducted by the city. When asked by the Bonn police, spokesperson Simon Rott said that from the police's point of view, the complaint situation is currently unremarkable.
Slight decrease in the number of cases
In 2023, the police had not received any submissions or complaints about the situation surrounding the scene, including around Kaiserplatz. In the period from 1 January to 31 May, the police had noted a slight decrease in the number of cases in the incoming statistics for the area compared to the same period last year. "The decrease is due in particular to fewer cases of theft and narcotics offences. Assault, robbery and sexual offences have increased in the comparison period," said Rott. These crime figures could still change. "The lists are subject to the proviso that further reports are received by the Bonn police, or that offences have to be classified differently in the course of the investigations."
In order to defuse the situation at the southern subway, the city of Bonn is primarily relying on the so-called Rondell, an area next to the entrance to the underground at the central bus station. A few weeks ago, the city had the area renovated in order to reopen it as a possible meeting place for the drug and homeless scene. From the point of view of Ralf Bockshecker, head of the citizens' office, who is also responsible for public order matters in the city, the scene is shifting more and more towards the Rondell. "In the Poppelsdorf subway area, it can happen that at peak times there are considerably more than 10 people there. If we notice this, we send them out of the area." The peak times are around lunchtime, when food is served at the Verein für Gefährdetenhilfe in Quantiusstraße.
Original text: Lisa Inhoffen
Translation: Jean Lennox
