German pools under police watch amid rising violence and brawls
Instead of lifeguards ensuring safety at German swimming pools, police officers in full uniforms now oversee bathers. The reason? A growing escalation of violence is becoming more frequent at public city pools.
6:22 AM EDT, July 10, 2024
The daily "Bild" reports on the alarming situation at German pools. Journalists note that acts of violence are increasingly occurring at outdoor city pools.
German lifeguards are also reporting more incidents of beatings, often requiring medical support for bathers.
Fights and injuries have become so common that safety can no longer be guaranteed. For the first time, outdoor pools are succumbing to this escalation of violence. Pool staff report dozens of injuries, alarms the German tabloid.
Various incidents were reported at pools over the last weekend in the capital city of Germany.
In Berlin on Sunday, the Columbiabad pool in Neukölln had to be closed again. The reason? A brutal dispute between young people, lifeguards, and security staff. Serious incidents had already occurred there in June.
Pool employees claimed they were afraid to come to work. They sent a letter to the supervisor of city pools (Berliner Bäder-Betriebe), complaining that young immigrants were psychologically terrorizing them.
A beating also occurred at the Prinzenbad pool in Berlin-Kreuzberg, where a young man was attacked for approaching an unfamiliar girl.
For weeks, there have been reports of mass brawls and outbreaks of violence at outdoor pools throughout Germany, writes "Bild".
Many pools are trying to manage the problem by hiring external security firms. In Berlin, mobile police guards will be present during the summer period.
