In order to combat violent crime in downtown Frankfurt more specifically, the Frankfurt police want to declare the area around the train station a no-arms zone.

This was announced by the authority on Thursday.

Experience has shown that "weapons or dangerous objects that are carried along are also used in the event of a conflict," said police chief Stefan Müller.

"Especially in attacks with knives, often only centimeters and thus chance decide between life and death." Every dangerous object seized at an early stage means "immediate victim protection".

Müller is also hoping for a deterrent effect if violations of the ban are sanctioned with fines.

Bernhard Biener

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung

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Catherine Iskandar

Responsible editor for the "Rhein-Main" department of the Sunday newspaper.

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As the authority further announced, the police headquarters has already collected the necessary figures and data for the station area.

A concept had been developed "to start with a pilot project for a gun ban zone in this part of the city and to collect empirical values".

According to their own statements, the police have already held talks with the head of the security department, Annette Rinn (FDP).

In the near future, the Presidium wants to submit a draft of how exactly the no-arms zone should be designed.

According to the police, the requirements of Section 42 of the Weapons Act are met.

According to the police headquarters, the no-gun zone would be implemented via a legal and hazard prevention ordinance by the city – “if the magistrate and city council agree”.

Consideration of two requirements

So far, the political discussion has only been sparked by an application by the CDU to set up such a zone.

The Roman coalition of Greens, SPD, FDP and Volt has not yet been able to deal with this.

In the individual groups, the proposal is met with skepticism and reluctance.

"As a last resort, I don't want to rule out no-gun zones in principle," said the Greens' security policy spokesman, Christoph Rosenbaum.

But he has serious doubts about a blanket application.

The CDU states the number of 170 weapons or weapon-like objects that have been seized in Wiesbaden since the weapons ban zone was set up in the city center at the end of 2018.

"You have to put that in relation to the controls and, above all, to the crimes," said the Greens city councilor.

Because of the corona pandemic, the evaluation in Wiesbaden was extended.

An assessment is difficult for so long.

The SPD parliamentary group leader Ursula Busch not only shared Rosenbaum's skepticism, but also referred to the applicable weapons law.

"You're not allowed to walk around outside of the prohibited zones with firearms or long knives." The SPD has always advocated a restrictive gun law at federal level.

Above all, the CDU must say how the gun ban zones should be controlled.

"In the state of Hesse, she is in government," said Busch.

"Or should additional forces or the city police control compliance instead of the state police?" In her own words, the SPD parliamentary group leader would be pleasantly surprised if the state police made corresponding commitments.

But then you still have to ask what it should bring in practice and what security-tactical idea is behind it.

For the FDP parliamentary group leader Yanki Pürsün, all considerations are linked to two requirements.

Firstly, only certain streets that are actually critical should fall into the area of ​​a gun ban zone and secondly, the police must make a firm commitment to carry out appropriate checks.

"Otherwise it's useless," said Pürsün.

For Johannes Hauenschild, spokesman for security policy at Volt, the prevention of criminal offenses is the priority.

"I don't necessarily want to be greeted by signs prohibiting guns." But it's crucial to talk to the police.

"They have to implement it."