Agency Report
Around 390 people were detained during festivities on the streets of the German capital Berlin on New Year’s Eve, many due to the dangerous use of fireworks, the city’s police said on Wednesday in what officials deemed a success.
Police said that despite the arrests, the night was an overall success for the city.
Most of the arrests related to violations of laws related to fireworks’ use or weapons, a police spokesperson said.
Fireworks are banned in certain streets and it is only permitted to set off fireworks in Berlin on New Year’s Eve from 6 pm (1700 GMT) until New Year’s morning at 7 am. Violations risk a fine of up to €10,000 ($10,401).
Fifteen police officers were injured during the night, one of whom had to undergo surgery after presumably being hit by an illegal firework, police said.
More than 3,000 additional police officers were deployed in addition to the 1,000 or so police officers in patrol cars and otherwise deployed on the streets.
There had been no major violence and it had paid off that police had protected firefighters during operations, said another police spokesman in a video published on X.
Elsewhere in Germany the turn of the year was relatively calm, despite many police operations, numerous injuries and even several deaths across the country.
In Leipzig, around 50 people attacked police officers with fireworks and bottles.
In Cologne, two officers were injured by firecrackers, local police said. There were similar incidents reported in Hamburg.
On the outskirts of Geseke in North Rhine-Westphalia, a 24-year-old died when a firecracker exploded, while two men were fatally injured in accidents in Saxony.
A 45-year-old man died in Oschatz, east of Leipzig, while a 50-year-old man was fatally injured in Hartha near Chemnitz. Both men were handling fireworks when they exploded.
In Hamburg, a 20-year-old died when a homemade firecracker exploded, while another person was fatally injured in the north of Brandenburg.
