Video surveillance is unlikely to be an issue that the new coalition will focus on. The “old” three-party alliance of CDU, SPD and Greens had already taken years to agree on the location at the Hauptwache - and ultimately only accepted it because the equally urgently needed permanently installed system in the Allerheiligenviertel was put on hold for the time being. The system at the Hauptwache will now be put into operation in the next few days. Everyday crimes such as theft, robbery and bodily harm could thus be pursued in a more targeted manner, so the hope of the police. But the cameras are also to be used for the prevention of terrorism, which will in future have an eye on the entire Hauptwache square and the entrances to the B-level.The Hauptwache is one of the central hubs in the city center and is a particularly endangered target.
Katharina Iskandar
Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.
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The new head of the security department, Annette Rinn (FDP), has not yet commented on the course she wants to set in terms of video surveillance in the next few years - and whether there may even be additional locations, adapted to the security situation. The faction of the liberals in the Romans apparently quarreled with this idea. On Thursday, the faction's security policy spokesman, Uwe Schulz, said that the system at the Hauptwache was already characterized by a “deceptive security”. He warned "against too high expectations" when it comes to public safety. Video surveillance is part of the security architecture, but its impact should not be overestimated. Often these only lead to displacement effects,"So that the question of proportionality arises with regard to the basic right of informational self-determination". He sees the camera system at the Hauptwache as critical, especially for reasons of cost.
"Suitable target for terrorists"
The police, on the other hand, made it clear again on Thursday that they expect the cameras at the main station in particular to be of great use.
"A location like this, where many people come together, can provide opportunities for different groups of perpetrators," says a police spokeswoman.
Video surveillance is therefore mainly used to prevent criminal offenses and to strengthen the feeling of security.
"But also in the area of investigations into criminal offenses, such a system has a value that should not be underestimated." This also applies to possible attacks.
It can also not be ruled out that "terrorists see the main guard as a suitable target".
From the point of view of the police, video surveillance is part of a holistic security concept. As the spokeswoman further explained, not only the camera technology is used to fight crime in the city center, but above all officials who patrol. “Targeted presence,” is what the spokeswoman calls it. Civil servants are particularly concerned with trickery and pickpocketing. From the beginning, the police only called the camera technology, which is of the highest technical standard, an “addition” to the previous concept.