Cologne and Leverkusen police carnival season start security, Digi Mart USA News (Cologne and Leverkusen, Germany): Police in Cologne and Leverkusen are preparing a large operation for the start of the carnival season on Wednesday, November 11. According to the authority, more than 1,000 police officers will be deployed in Cologne and Leverkusen.
Most of the officers will be stationed in Cologne, beginning in the early morning hours at well-known party hotspots in the Altstadt old town, the Zülpicher Viertel district and along the Ringe boulevards. Police in Leverkusen said that the two local stations are involved in security planning for “Elften im Elften,” the traditional start of the carnival season on November 11.
An earlier report had indicated that riot police would also reinforce officers in Leverkusen, but police said on Friday afternoon that this was apparently not the case. Operation leader Gregor Eisenmann, a police director, said: “For many people, the start of the session is a special day that stands for joy of life and community.
It is important to us that everyone can experience this day as carefree and safely as possible.”
According to current information, police have no indications of registered assemblies or specific security disruptions. Police in Cologne said they are in constant exchange with federal and state security authorities.
The authority added that events from the Halloween night are being factored into current operational preparations and situation assessments.
In Leverkusen, the fire department responded to numerous incidents involving burning garbage bins during Halloween night, and young people attacked emergency personnel with fireworks. For the “Elften im Elften,” police announced person and bag checks for knives and weapons.
A general knife ban applies. Police also warned that realistic-looking replica weapons are not part of carnival costumes, as they are prohibited and can unsettle others and trigger police action.
