The Bielefeld police - along with Düsseldorf, Cologne and Bochum - took part in a nationwide day of action to combat violent crime on the night of Saturday, July 1, 2023. In these four cities, the police took a closer look at the carrying of knives and other dangerous objects in particular.

In Bielefeld, police officers in plain clothes and in uniform were on duty between 18:00 and 02:00 and carried out flexible checks at various locations, such as the Tüte, the Ostmann Turmviertel, Kesselbrink and Jahnplatz.

The police officers checked several people in the Boulevard area at around 19:35. During two searches, they found a knife on one man and narcotics on one man. At around 8:30 p.m., officers seized a telescopic baton from a man at Jahnplatz. They found narcotics on another person.

The head of operations, police director Andreas Schramm, summarized: "We are satisfied with the checks. Only a few people had knives with them. We have been carrying out more checks with a focus on safety in the city centre for some time now, obviously so many people have already realized that a knife does not belong in a trouser pocket."

In total, the police checked 186 people. Criminal charges were filed against 12 people, including for violations of the Weapons Act and the Narcotics Act. The officers seized 3 knives, a baton and an irritant spray device, and 22 people were banned from the area. The police officers prepared two reports and two misdemeanor charges.

Please direct any queries from journalists to:

Police headquarters Bielefeld
Headquarters/ Press and Public Relations
Kurt-Schumacher-Straße 46
33615 Bielefeld