Knives ban on buses and trains from July

Weapons will soon be taboo on Berlin public transport. (archive picture)

In future, a ban on weapons and knives on buses and trains will apply throughout Berlin. The Senate passed a new ordinance to this effect at its most recent meeting, as Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD) subsequently announced. The ban is expected to come into force in mid-July.

This makes it easier for the police: the new legal situation gives them the opportunity to check whether someone has a weapon on them in the subway, for example, regardless of concrete suspicions. Previously, this was not permitted.

Weapons and knife bans in three locations so far

Following a fatal knife attack in a subway train, the Home Office had already announced an extension of the ban on weapons and knives to public transport in mid-April. A ban on weapons and knives is already in place in Görlitzer Park, at Kottbusser Tor in Kreuzberg and at Leopoldplatz in Wedding.

More knife attacks in public spaces

The police are observing an increase in knife attacks in public spaces across Germany. According to crime statistics, a total of 3,412 cases were recorded in Berlin last year. More than half of the knife attacks (51.7 percent, 1,765 cases) took place in public.