Curious scene at the carnival in Cologne
Police officers found the wrong partner – and intervened
Updated 11/12/2025 – 10:51Reading time: 3 minutes
A large contingent of police officers protects the Cologne carnival. The officers make many discoveries – and encounter fake police officers.
Cologne police opened court on November 11 with a large contingent. accompanied. About 1,000 police officers were on duty, checking more than 450 people and issuing more than 70 expulsions. Eleven people were detained – most of them drunk. The police announced this on Wednesday evening.
By early Tuesday morning, celebration areas in Cologne’s old town, on the ring and in districts popular with students were full. The first blocking point was closed at around 11.30 because no further access was possible.
As in previous years, the focus of police operations is checking weapons and knives and protecting minors.
Several people were injured on Tuesday. At around 11:10, a 17-year-old was hit in the head by a bottle on Zülpicher Strasse. The bottle was apparently thrown from the balcony. The teenager suffered lacerations and received medical treatment.
At around 1.45pm, two men aged 17 and 19 are said to have attacked a 23-year-old man and kicked him as he lay on the ground. He was taken to hospital with a head injury.
Only a little later – around 2 p.m. – there is another argument on Mozartstrasse. Unknown people injured two youths aged 17 and 18 by hitting them with a glass bottle. A female police officer was spat on during this operation and her radio was knocked out of her hand.
At approximately 8:20 a.m. officers spotted a 45-year-old woman from Viersen. He wears a real police uniform, but is not a member of the force. Officials initiated criminal proceedings for usurpation of office and confiscated the uniforms.
Police officers recovered so-called pseudo-weapons twice by midday. Witnesses observed two young men carrying what appeared to be real handguns. One of them is said to have pointed a gun in the air outside the restaurant and pulled the trigger. Police arrested the two men – aged 20 and 22 – and filed charges of violating weapons laws.
Police reported another incident around 2:15 p.m.: A 32-year-old man was said to have exposed himself in front of officers and masturbated. He was very drunk and unresponsive. The police detained him and made a report.
At around 15.10, a 58-year-old man collapsed on the Rhine promenade. According to police, he may have had an internal emergency and suffered a head injury. Passersby provided first aid until emergency services took over. The man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
