A year after the attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market, cities in Saxony-Anhalt invest heavily in security. The focus is mainly on protecting road access through mobile barriers, but also on increasing the presence of security forces, as shown by a survey carried out by the German Press Agency among the country’s largest cities.
The city of Halle announced that it had purchased the access protection system for around 600,000 euros. It will be used at various events in the future. According to its own information, Dessau-Roßlau has invested about 450,000 euros, Wernigerode about 300,000 euros, and Quedlinburg this year about 100,000 euros in additional security. The city also plans to invest an additional 300,000 euros in permanent street furniture to protect driveways.
Dispute over security concepts in Magdeburg
State capital Magdeburg After last year’s attacks, they initially spent 250,000 euros to buy new protective elements. These include the addition of 110 concrete blocks so that more than 240 concrete barriers will be installed around the Old Market. However, the costs are likely to increase again following disputes over flaws in the security concept.
In general, cities in Saxony-Anhalt face much higher security expenditures. The city of Halberstadt reported a cost increase of around 1,000 percent this year. This is an intensive exchange with POLICEfire department and public order office. In addition to investment costs, according to information from Wernigerode, increased costs for security forces are also expected to occur. The city is currently assuming an increase of between 20 and 30 percent.
The concept of security has been revised many times
Christmas market organizers have learned a lot, said the President of the Association of Towns and Municipalities of Saxony-Anhalt, Andreas Dittmann (SPD). This has been significantly improved. After the debate about the Christmas market in Magdeburg, uncertainty is increasing in small towns.
Other cities such as Salzwedel, Stendal and Weißenfels have also revised their security concepts and are cooperating with the police. firefighter and the public order office together. For security reasons, exact information regarding new actions or charges is sometimes not provided. However, the city emphasized that visitor safety is a top priority, even though this comes at a much higher cost.
A year ago, a 50-year-old man from Saudi Arabia drove past the Magdeburg Christmas market. He killed six people and injured more than 300, some of them seriously. He will have to answer before the Magdeburg regional court for a week.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251116-930-298487/1
