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The small police station, which opened on Berlin's Alexanderplatz in December 2017 after a long political debate, cost around one million euros.

The area with - normally - a good 350,000 passers-by every day hadn't gotten off the headlines because of shoplifting, robbery and fights.

But then Interior Senator Andreas Geisel and his SPD were able to wrest the house from their coalition partners, the Greens and the Left.

The police and the public order office increased their presence on the "Alex" significantly.

In fact, the number of registered crimes fell in 2018 by around 700 compared to the previous year to almost 6,800. But in 2019 they were officially exactly 7,480 again. Only the consequences of the corona pandemic - such as the lockdown and the absence of most tourists - provided a significant decrease.

From January to November 2020, the investigative authorities registered 5226 crimes.

Shoplifting alone fell by around 1,000 to just under 1,500 within a year.

Has fallen into disrepute nationwide as a drug transhipment point

The special thing is: The Görlitzer Park in Kreuzberg, another crime hotspot in the federal capital, has overtaken Alexanderplatz in the negative rating.

Both areas are officially classified as a “crime-laden place” (KBO).

This means that the police can check people, bags and vehicles there without specific suspicion.

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The green area has fallen into disrepute nationwide as a drug transshipment point, especially as there were repeatedly desperate calls for help from residents.

From January to November last year, 5,440 criminal offenses were on record in Görlitzer Park.

The total for 2019 was 5450 - so, once the December figures are available, it should be clearly exceeded in 2020.

The information comes from the responses of the interior authority to two parliamentary inquiries from the left parliamentary group in the state parliament and re-fuels the debate on drug policy for Berlin.

It was provided by domestic policy spokesman Niklas Schrader.

“Pickpockets and shoplifting, including bodily harm, play an important role at Alex,” says Schrader.

The left-wing politician referred to the lockdown also for the retail sector and to the fact that young people are currently “not getting into each other”.

In the Görlitzer Park, however, “everything that has to do with the Narcotics Act continues to take place.

Drug offenses are classic control offenses. "

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The more the police are on duty, the more cases are discovered.

In fact, the number of drug offenses in "Görli" rose from 1435 in the previous year to 1735 last year.

"The conclusion that crime has increased in Görli is inadmissible."

The earlier zero tolerance concept, which was largely enforced by the CDU in a coalition with the SPD, did not work, says Schrader.

“It only concerns the judiciary with petty offenses.” They catch “the small dealers and perhaps consumers who buy small quantities, but not organized criminals”.

The red-red-green coalition has nothing against the increased police presence in the “Görli”.

The Görlitzer Park in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg

Source: picture alliance / dpa / dpa-Zentral

Support for homeless drug addicts is also needed, which is why the police have to work with “park runners and crisis workers”.

Only with police measures does the city not solve the drug problem.

"You can't win the competition with the dealers." Therefore, the cannabis trade must be legalized.

"Then you could concentrate on serious crime."

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The CDU sees it differently.

Your parliamentary group leader Burkard Dregger said on request: "The 2020 statistics show the full extent of the evil: The drug trade is flourishing in the capital completely independent of Corona." Red-red-green look the other way and do nothing, except to protect dealers, drug use to promote and burn police officers.

Above all, Dregger criticizes the fact that in Berlin - unique in Germany - everyone is allowed to have up to 15 grams of cannabis with them for personal use.

For police officers it is frustrating to “hunt down dealers who then only have supposed personal needs with them”.

If you want to legalize personal use, then not like this.

“15 grams is a monthly ration.

Small dealers are intentionally protected, ”said the Christian Democrat.

"And that's why the Senator of the Interior and the Red-Red-Green are helping organized drug crime."

The spokesman for the interior senator, Martin Pallgen, defends himself against the allegations.

He certifies that Dregger only looks at Görlitzer Park with “ideological glasses”.

Red-red-green do not protect dealers, but ensure better conditions.

“It's not just about drug trafficking, but also about accompanying crime.” Since January 2020, a “hot spot unit” of the police with 125 members has been taking care of the park.

The 90,000 service hours were three times that of the previous year.

Robbery and bodily harm have decreased significantly.

The police are executing arrest warrants, exercising more control, imposing residence bans on drug traffickers and raising "drug bunkers in and around the park," said Pallgen.

The CDU's zero tolerance strategy has shown "zero success".

"So if someone burned police officers at Görlitzer Park, it was the CDU."

Benjamin Jendro, spokesman for the national police union, says: “As soon as the lockdown ends, the numbers will go up again.

This applies to Alexanderplatz - but also to Görlitzer Park.

If we didn't have the pandemic, the numbers there would be much higher. "

"Poison is brought to the people in Görlitzer Park"

“In the last ten years, the drug market for synthetic substances has developed brutally.

Something different is added every week, ”says Daniela Ludwig (CSU), drug commissioner for the federal government.

Source: WORLD / Sebastian Struwe