In particular, more drug and alcohol tests were carried out by the police in Bonn. For example, a 46-year-old man on Berliner Platz in Bonn's city centre caught their attention early on Saturday evening. The man's voluntary quick drug test reacted positively to cocaine and amphetamine. A blood sample was taken.

There was a major incident in Bonn-Medinghoven. Residents reported a fire in a container. When the fire service and police arrived at the scene, a group of about 40 people attacked the officers with fireworks and stones. According to the Bonn fire brigade, the emergency services had to withdraw and call in a squad of one hundred police officers. They were able to disperse the group of people so that the fire brigade could put out the fires.

Police say that around 2,000 people gathered on Bonn’s Kennedy Bridge to celebrate the New Year and watch the fireworks. The bridge was apparently much less crowded than in pre-pandemic years. Most people only flocked to the bridge and the surrounding banks of the Rhine in Bonn and Beuel shortly before midnight. There was no shortage of fireworks, however, and the banks of the Rhine, along with the grassy area in front of the opera house, were transformed into a veritable "rocket launching base".

Although most people celebrated peacefully, some lacked consideration for families celebrating with children. Several bangers were fired, some of them directly at children's feet. Shortly before 1 a.m., the bridge emptied again.

Between 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and 7 a.m. on New Year’s Day, the Bonn fire brigade was called out to a total of 60 fires, three technical assistance incidents and 81 emergency services incidents. Most of the fires involved hedges, rubbish bins or containers, said Eric Lambertz, press spokesperson for the fire brigade.

In the Alten Heerweg in Bonn-Duisdorf, for example, a hedge caught fire. Some 10 metres of it were burning, according to Lambertz. Fire fighters were able to bring the fire under control quickly, however, so that the flames did not spread to neighbouring buildings.

The fire brigade and rescue service were also alerted to Bahnhofsstraße. Residents had reported smoke in the stairwell of an apartment building. The cause was a burning mattress. The fire brigade led three people into the open. No one was injured.

Several people complained of irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract in a club in the city centre of Bonn. A guest had sprayed irritant gas. A total of four persons were treated by the emergency services.

The police in Siegburg received 121 calls for service between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. That was only slightly more than the year before, according to the press office. There were minor fires, incidents of bodily harm, damage to property and incidents involving rioters. Of the 121 interventions, only 32 were directly related to New Year's Eve.

On the road, the Siegburg police checked a total of 73 drivers. Only one of them was intoxicated. A blood sample was taken from him and his driving licence was confiscated. "All in all, a pleasing result," writes the Siegburg police press office. A traffic accident in Much was a special case. A car had left the road and overturned. The four occupants were slightly injured and taken to nearby hospitals.

In the entire Rhein-Sieg district, the fire brigade recorded 75 incidents. This was slightly more than in the previous year. However, the number of ambulance calls was lower in comparison. Including ambulances and emergency doctors, there were 140 ambulance calls in the Rhine-Sieg district on New Year's Eve.

Compared with other control units, the Rhine-Erft district was "super busy", according to a a spokesperson from the rescue control centre in the Rhine-Erft district. There were 350 calls in the first hour after midnight alone. In the 24-hour period, almost 1,000 calls were received. There were 277 operations, a significant difference compared to the previous year. Maybe because after Covid, some people felt they had to make up for lost time, he speculated.