Bonn Police Chief Hoever "The readiness to use violence is clearly on the rise".
Bonn · Bonn. Last year, the police headquarters in Bonn and parts of the Rhein-Sieg district registered a growing number of assaults. In the GA interview, police chief Frank Hoever warns of the increasing willingness of criminals to use knives. The police want to increase controls at hot spots.
During New Year's Eve, a group of young men in Medinghoven attacked firefighters and police officers with pyrotechnics and projectiles. Is this a new dimension of violence in Bonn?
Frank Hoever: Not really, but it was surprising. We were on the scene with forces that wisely initially withdrew and then successfully intervened together with the riot police. One person was arrested and a mobile phone was seized. The analysis of the mobile phone led us to other people, mainly from Medinghoven and Duisdorf, who had communicated via a WhatsApp group.
There had been a warning on the internet beforehand about riots in Medinghoven. Why weren't there more officers on the scene from the start?
Hoever: We research such cases, including in social networks, analyse the findings and then make an assessment. If we had seen even the slightest danger for the citizens living up there, we would have taken a different approach in terms of manpower. In mid-November, we will decide how to position ourselves for the next New Year's Eve.
What do you know about the alleged perpetrators?
Hoever: They obviously wanted to emulate the Netflix film "Athena". There, rubbish containers are set on fire to lure the police into an ambush. And an officer is kidnapped. The Bonn suspects were discussing this in the WhatsApp group. But I don't think we're seeing a pattern here that will repeat itself.
And if it does?
Hoever: Then we would increase our presence and monitoring measures in Medinghoven. It is a district that is not without problems. So far the focus has been on the city centre, Tannenbusch and Bad Godesberg.
What do you mean by "not unproblematic"?
Hoever: We have our eye on Medinghoven, in terms of the development with large apartment blocks, in terms of the people who live there. Our district officers are in contact with the local people.
After the New Year's Eve riots, the public prosecutor's office is investigating, amongst other things, charges of serious breach of the peace...
Hoever: Exactly, we are talking about serious offences. The young perpetrators seem to have lived in a kind of parallel world. Group dynamics probably also played a role: one pulls the other along. In addition to possible charges, there are now also civil claims, because the burning rubbish containers have caused damage. Some of the parents of the suspects were shocked when the police rang the doorbell to search their homes.
The eight suspects so far all come from immigrant families. How significant is this fact?
Hoever: First of all, it's a fact. But first and foremost they are young people and adolescents. In this age group - and not only there - the propensity to violence is clearly increasing. In 2022, we recorded many more crimes of bodily harm than in the previous year. We will present the exact figures in the crime statistics on 15 February. The intensity of violence has increased. Spitting on police officers is also becoming more common. This is particularly disgusting, and we react to it consistently with criminal charges and criminal appeals, which I also file.
Why is that?
Hoever: I don't really have an explanation either. This development affects not only attacks on police officers, but the whole of society. Even the willingness to carry and use a dangerous weapon like a knife has grown. Cities like Düsseldorf have established no-weapons zones for this reason. Without wanting to stigmatise: I believe that this also has to do with the fact that there are cultural circles in which the knife plays a different role than it does here.
Are there places in Bonn where you would suggest a weapons ban?
Hoever: No. There have to be serious crimes behind it that follow a pattern. These do not exist in Bonn in this form. We examined this for Pützchens Markt, for example, and then rejected it. Despite the increasing number of crimes of bodily harm, Bonn remains a relatively safe city. However, we must deploy sufficient resources and intervene consistently to keep it that way.
For example, with strategic manhunts? A group of Bonn students criticised these controls as unlawful because you had ordered them for almost two months in the entire area of the presidium...
Hoever: At my request, I had a 90-minute discussion with three students of the University of Bonn last December about the background of the strategic search and its order. This was for transparency and was my expression of a special feeling of respect for the students.
With the strategic search, we focused on organised, itinerant pickpockets and burglars - you can't limit the area of the controls. The reason for the strategic search was the sharp increase in the number of cases of housebreaking and pickpocketing, and the measure was successful. We have gained a lot of knowledge about criminals, which helps us.
But the burglary figures have only increased in comparison to 2021 because the number at that time was unusually low at 819. In the years before that, it was far above 1000...
Hoever: That's true. Nevertheless, an increase of more than 100 burglaries compared to the previous year is not insignificant. For those affected, every individual case counts. I have been burgled twice. When a criminal turns a flat upside down and rummages through your underwear, it does something to you. We washed everything before using it again.
Does such a personal experience influence your decisions as police chief?
Hoever: Absolutely not. I can strictly separate the two.
Would you order the strategic search again?
Hoever: Definitely. We don't check arbitrarily and without good reason - we wouldn't have the necessary personnel to do so. Incidentally, I would sometimes also like to see more trust in the police who act according to the rule of law.
The NRW data protection commissioner is investigating the use of mobile cameras, which you use in Bonn to monitor the Hofgarten and other hot spots. What is the status?
Hoever: At the moment we are answering a question from the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information on this topic. There are certain reservations, but we are responding to them with good arguments. We were successful pioneers in the use of these cameras in NRW. The State Office for Central Police Services is now buying mobile cameras that can be requested by the police authorities.
Does the Bonn police headquarters have enough staff?
Hoever: I would be a bad head of department if I said we had enough staff. But I see it realistically. The police officers are distributed throughout the state according to a standardised key, which is based on the burden of crime and traffic accidents. We have to be as effective as possible with the personnel we have and set priorities. When it comes to whether we prosecute sexual abuse of children or bicycle theft, the decision is not difficult.
Nevertheless, efficiency also has to do with the number of employees.
Hoever: Our Interior Minister Herbert Reul has done a lot for the police in recent years, both in terms of equipment and personnel. The coalition agreement of the state government provides for the recruitment of up to 3000 women and men for the police service every year.
But NRW is still a long way from that.
Hoever: Last year, about 2700 were recruited, which is a lot compared to previous years.
Would you still advise your children to join the police today?
Hoever: Yes, because it is a varied and multi-faceted profession.
What are your priorities for the Presidium's work in the current year?
Hoever: Three topics are of importance to us across all directorates. One is the measures of presence and control at the focal points. In Tannenbusch, we are planning a project in this context that is both preventive and repressive. We are also setting up an additional investigative commission - also as a reaction to two cases of the use of firearms in Tannenbusch - to combat drug trafficking in particular. In public, drugs are consumed and trafficked there much more often than a few years ago. We have to get our foot in the door at an early stage so that no entrenched structures develop. But it is also about being out and about on the ground, talking to people, keeping in touch with schools.
And priority two?
Hoever: That is the early detection of Islamist activities. The Ministry of the Interior has transferred formal responsibility for dangerous persons to Cologne. But these people still live here. In this respect, it is important for us to keep an eye on the scene, with open but also with covert measures. There are mosques and other meeting places that we look at in particular. We observe the environment in which the relevant individuals move. We want to identify activities that could possibly lead to an attack at an early stage.
How many such potential threats live in Bonn and the surrounding area?
Hoever: There are not many. But I won't be more specific at this point.
What is the third focus for 2023?
Hoever: The safety of cyclists with a view to preventing accidents. Because we are seeing increases there. This also has to do with the fact that the city of Bonn does a lot for cyclists and therefore more people use the bicycle, which I expressly welcome.
Which parts of Bonn are particularly dangerous for cyclists?
Hoever: We regularly talk to the city about accident blackspots and offer our advice. It's up to the municipality to decide. One of the accident hotspots is the Kennedy Bridge, especially on the Beuel side. I think everything could be set back to zero and the traffic routing for cyclists could be rethought.
