Police patrol German pools as violence escalates
Instead of lifeguards ensuring safety at the edges of German swimming pools, police officers in full uniform oversee the bathers. The reason? An escalation of violence is becoming increasingly frequent at public city pools.
The alarming situation at German swimming pools is reported by the daily "Bild". Journalists highlight that acts of violence are on the rise at outdoor public pools.
German lifeguards are also reporting a growing number of cases of beatings, increasingly requiring medical support for the bathers.
Fights and injuries. Safety can no longer be guaranteed, and for the first time, outdoor pools are capitulating to the escalation of violence. Pool staff report dozens of victims, alerts the German tabloid.
On Sunday in Berlin, the Columbiabad pool in Neukölln had to be closed again. The reason? A brutal altercation involving young people, lifeguards, and security staff. Serious incidents had already occurred here in June.
Pool employees reported being afraid to come to work. They also sent a letter to the supervisor of city pools (Berliner Bäder-Betriebe), complaining that young immigrants were mentally terrorising them.
There was also an assault at the Prinzenbad pool in Berlin-Kreuzberg, where a young man was attacked for approaching an unknown girl.
For weeks, there have been reports of mass brawls and outbreaks of violence at outdoor pools across Germany, writes "Bild".
Many pools are attempting to address the problem by hiring external security firms. In Berlin, mobile police units will also be deployed during the summer.
