Berlin police union warns of rising gun violence, calls for digital tools

Berlin's Police Union (GdP) is sounding the alarm over a disturbing rise in gun violence, urging the adoption of new digital technologies and more stringent law enforcement.

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Anyone carrying a firearm and willing to use it poses a significant danger to the entire society. Berlin must never get used to such images and reports.

"Anyone carrying a firearm and willing to use it poses a significant danger to the entire society," stated GdP state chairman Stephan Weh. "Berlin must never get used to such images and reports." He pointed to advanced digital methods already employed in other European cities, such as London, where surveillance cameras and automatic facial recognition are in use.

Weh questioned the effectiveness of current laws in deterring such acts, suggesting that other European capitals offer models for modernizing internal security and data protection. He emphasized that the police alone cannot solve this issue, calling for consistent prosecution and tangible consequences for those who resort to firearms to settle disputes on Berlin's streets.

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We must openly ask ourselves whether the current legal possibilities can influence such acts at all. Other European metropolises like London show us how.

The union's warning comes amid a spate of violent incidents. In the latest, a 30-year-old man was fatally shot during a dispute near Bahnhof Zoo. The previous weekend saw further shootings, including an attack on a 22-year-old man outside a cafe in Kreuzberg. A murder commission is investigating the Bahnhof Zoo incident.

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Police alone cannot solve this problem. We need consistent prosecution, tangible consequences for those who think they can settle their conflicts with firearms on Berlin's streets.