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Berlin Plans Larger New Year’s Fireworks Ban Zones, Drops Fences for Police Patrols

Officials aim to curb repeat hot spots by replacing barricades with mobile policing.

Overview

  • The interior administration confirmed a spatial expansion of New Year’s Eve no-fireworks areas, with exact locations and sizes still under discussion.
  • Authorities will no longer seal zones with fencing or fixed checkpoints, opting for roaming patrols that proactively address and check groups.
  • The targeted areas are those that have repeatedly seen dangerous situations and crimes involving pyrotechnics driven by group dynamics.
  • Police say they will pursue violations involving blank‑firing and signal guns, filing weapons-law charges and seizing the weapons from people without a small firearms license.
  • Interior Senator Iris Spranger said Berlin plans about 3,200 additional police and 1,500 firefighters for the night, and she indicated the area around Kreuzberg’s Admiralbrücke could be added as a ban zone.