Organized Crime Flies in Perpetrators for Violent Acts in Berlin
Berlin, January 17th – Organized crime in Berlin is flying in perpetrators from other countries to commit specific offenses such as violent threats and ‘protection money’ extortion. This was revealed by Police President Barbara Slowik Meisel in an interview with dpa.
“Young men are specifically recruited abroad for this purpose,” said Slowik Meisel. “They travel to Berlin on short-term tourist visas, commit crimes for which they have received orders, and then quickly disappear.” She added that many of these perpetrators speak little German.
Increased Violence Due to Competition in Drug Trade
According to Slowik Meisel, the masterminds behind these operations are either based abroad, seeking to gain ground in Berlin’s illegal business market, or the orders come from established organized crime structures within the city.
Police have observed a significant increase in violent clashes between rival gangs over the past year. “We have increasingly detected gunshots. In December, there was even the throwing of a hand grenade into a pub at night as a threat,” Slowik Meisel stated. These conflicts primarily revolve around territorial disputes in the drug trade and so-called ‘protection money’ extortion. The Police President emphasized that the term ‘protection money’ downplays the severity of the offenses, preferring to describe them as “violence-driven threats and extortion of successful businesspeople.” Such extortions are often underscored by shooting at buildings.
“Ultimately, in both cases, it’s about the most lucrative sources of income for organized crime,” she concluded.
Police Vow Not to Tolerate Gang Warfare
In response to the escalating violence, the police have conducted numerous raids and arrests. “We have countered this with a strong presence on the streets and in establishments. We work covertly and overtly, regionally, in exchange with other federal states, but also internationally,” Slowik Meisel stressed. “We will regularly change our measures to avoid predictability. And we are firmly determined to make it clear: Berlin is not a breeding ground for such confrontations between criminal structures.”
In this context, Slowik Meisel urgently called for a tightening of Paragraph 100a, which regulates telephone surveillance and the observation of suspects. She argued that the possession of a weapon should be a reason for more surveillance options. “The discovery of an illegally carried firearm, in our experience, always indicates involvement in organized crime. It should consequently give the police the immediate possibility to apply for surveillance measures.”
Firearms as a Key Indicator of Organized Crime
To illustrate her point, Slowik Meisel described common scenarios: “We check a vehicle or search an apartment with a court order and find a hidden, live firearm. This is regularly the case in criminal circles.” However, she lamented that the police currently have no further legal recourse beyond reporting a general violation of the Weapons Act.
“We cannot monitor the suspected owner of this firearm, for example, to prevent re-arming and to investigate the underlying criminal structures,” Slowik Meisel complained. “For this, we urgently need an expansion of Paragraph 100a. Only then can we effectively combat the possession of illegal firearms and their handling within the organized crime scene.”
Source: dpa, Berliner Abendblatt
