Agency Report –
A major German police union has called for a countrywide ban on the carrying of weapons in public transport and related facilities, including all railway stations.
Andreas Rosskopf, head of the GdP union’s federal police section, complained that there was currently a patchwork of regulations across the country’s 16 federal states. A national ban is already in place on long-distance trains.
“People often don’t know themselves whether there is a banned zone at a particular station or not,” Rosskopf told dpa.
Berlin’s state government recently backed a ban on firearms and knives in all the capital’s commuter transport. A complete ban is in place in certain states, while others are considering taking similar measures.
The large southern state of Bavaria has taken a contrary position, calling for the decision to be left to regions and local authorities.
The GdP is calling for agreement on a common policy by the interior ministers of all the states, who regularly meet along with their federal counterparts.
