2024-08-31 09:27:20
Hanover has been fighting knife crime for some time. Mayor Onay now wants to expand the weapon-free zones. In an interview with t-online, he also explains what he thinks about deportations to Afghanistan.
Following the knife attack at the 650th anniversary celebrations of the city of Solingen, a political debate has erupted about the necessary consequences. The measures discussed range from tightening the gun laws to deporting rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan.
In Hanover, too, people fear the danger posed by knife violence. According to the Federal Police, the city’s main train station is one of the stations with the most knife crimes in the country. Hanover’s mayor Belit Onay has now reacted to these statistics and expanded the existing weapons-free zones in Hanover. He explains to t-online what he hopes to achieve and what question he would like to have answered in the asylum debate.
t-online: How did you follow the events surrounding the attack in Solingen? As mayor, you probably quickly put yourself in the shoes of your counterpart in Solingen.
Evidence Approval: I have addressed my condolences to my colleagues in Solingen. We in Hanover are also in shock at this gruesome act. Unfortunately, after Mannheim, this is the second attack in a very short space of time with links to Islamist terrorism. It is simply terrible – especially at an event like this, which should obviously also celebrate the diversity in Solingen and be a clear commitment to democracy and a diverse society. But the threat situation is something that we are constantly confronted with in our cities at major events and festivals when it comes to setting up security concepts.
Knife violence is also an issue that concerns your city. According to a report by the Federal Police, Hanover Central Station is one of the stations in Germany with the most knife crimes. How do you explain that?
Since Corona, at the latest, the situation regarding violence, youth violence, knife violence and the carrying of knives has changed significantly nationwide, including in Hanover. It has become more aggressive. We have repeatedly made it very clear that it is not acceptable and that there is no need for anyone to carry a knife or any other weapon in the city.
Do your citizens feel safe?
The figures confirm the feeling of many people in our city. We conducted a survey on the perception of safety and the feedback is that it has worsened. Particularly among young people and women, especially in certain places. This includes the main train station as well as parts of the city center. Even people’s own neighborhoods are no longer perceived as being so safe. That is a problem. We must and will respond to that.
What role does migration play in feedback on security perceptions?
The systematic pattern that can be seen again and again in the statistics is that young men in particular are the ones who commit crimes. This is the main group of people when it comes to committing crimes. And in this population group, the proportion of migrants is particularly high, not least due to migration in recent years. This is what we are focusing on with integration measures.
You have now gathered for a top-level meeting with the head of the public order department, Hanover’s police chief and the president of the Federal Police Directorate. You then announced joint patrols with the security services at the main train station. What do you hope to achieve with these measures?
The feedback from people and the crime statistics show that there is a need for action. That is why I invited people to the town hall to discuss better coordination. The police will focus their forces even more on the main station and city center area. We will do the same. We will significantly increase the number of security staff and at the same time we will create better responsiveness on site so that conflict situations can be resolved quickly.
In addition, the weapons ban zone is to be extended to the main train station this week.
We already have two gun-free zones in the city. We are now merging them and including the main train station. But it is important to be clear: the gun-free zone alone will not prevent people from carrying guns. But this legal basis gives us the opportunity to carry out checks in a focused manner and thus also to identify weapons.