Cologne under control of violence: police fight against explosions and drug crime

Cologne under control of violence: police fight against explosions and drug crime

police chief Johannes Hermanns made the serious challenges that a series of explosions and shots in Cologne brings with it in a council meeting that has taken place on Tuesday. He assured that the police take the concerns of the citizens seriously and made it clear that this was extraordinary acts. "However, the likelihood that uninvolved victims of this series of violence will be low," said Hermanns. The crimes are located in the criminal milieu and open invoices between different groups seem to have to be paid. Chief Criminal Investment Commissioner Michael Esser confirmed this assumption and referred to the disappearance of around 300 kilograms of cannabis, for whose recovery an affected group is now using violence.

Due to the worrying Situation in Cologne, 80 civil servants now deal intensively with the clarification of these acts of violence. Hermanns described that some police officers only go home for showering and sleeping and then devoted themselves to the investigation. "We cannot speak publicly about everything," he said, since it is a matter of proceedings in the area of organized crime and is crucial for the success of the investigation. This presents the officials with considerable difficulties, because victims and perpetrators often refuse to speak to the police.

The Interior Minister Herbert Reul also commented in an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and emphasized that even arrested participants do not provide any information. This strong confidentiality even extends to injured parties who live in the objects affected. CDU boss Bernd Petelkau compared the situation with a "Wild-West in Cologne" in view of the unprecedented wave of violence in the city since the Second World War.

direct contact with the suspects is problematic. Despite the publication of photos, the police are still looking for information on their whereabouts. It is feared that the perpetrators have fled abroad, which makes the investigation more difficult. The need for security in the Cologne population remains great in the face of these violent arguments, and the police are faced with the double challenge of delivering quick education and at the same time observing disturbing developments in the criminalized environment.

The threat to uninvolved people has proven to be a real danger in the past few weeks, as the injured cleaner proves in front of a disco during the explosion. Hermanns asked for the public understanding that not all details of the investigation can be shared. Nevertheless, there are fears of further violence, and the city of Cologne is in a signal struggle against organized crime.