Overview
- About 4,300 police officers and more than 2,000 firefighters are deployed in Berlin, the largest New Year’s operation reported by city authorities.
- Police say roughly 147,000 fireworks were seized ahead of the night, largely professional‑grade F4 items, including 35 shell mortars found in a car‑sharing vehicle.
- Fireworks ban zones were expanded to hotspots such as Alexanderplatz, parts of Neukölln, Kreuzberg and Schöneberg, with mobile checks planned to confiscate prohibited pyrotechnics.
- Investigators are probing a suspected illegal pyrotechnics workshop after an explosion in a Bochum apartment block forced evacuations, while a separate case in Leipzig left a 16‑year‑old with severe hand injuries from a non‑approved böller.
- Hospitals and rescue services increased staffing for expected injuries, as Berlin officials noted cold, icy weather could shorten street celebrations; police also conducted risk briefings and warned preventive detention could be sought in extreme cases.