Munich bans alcohol at night at main train station due to crime
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 14 Dec, 2016 CET.
Updated: Wed 14 Dec 2016 09:25 CET
The Bavarian capital's city hall on Tuesday approved a plan to forbid drinking at its main train station due to rising crime rates.
Between 10pm and 6am, the consumption and possession of alcohol will be banned in public areas around the train station, as well as along nearby streets, according to broadcaster München.tv.
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the ban will only apply when the consumption of alcohol is obvious, and thus travelers may still carry closed bottles with them in, for example, a bag.
Proponents of the ban cited crime figures that showed there had been 188 instances of attacks and theft within the first six months of the year - more than twice the number of such crimes during the same time period last year, according to the local Abendzeitung newspaper.
That means there was more than one crime committed each day, in particular at night and when alcohol was involved.
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, many of the crimes reported seemed to be connected to groups that regularly met at the station to drink.
The ban is supposed to be implemented in January, but an exact start date has not been determined, according to the Abendzeitung.
Opposition parties like the Greens and the Pirate party tried to stop the ban from being passed, arguing that it was not the right way to fight crime.
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Between 10pm and 6am, the consumption and possession of alcohol will be banned in public areas around the train station, as well as along nearby streets, according to broadcaster München.tv.
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the ban will only apply when the consumption of alcohol is obvious, and thus travelers may still carry closed bottles with them in, for example, a bag.
Proponents of the ban cited crime figures that showed there had been 188 instances of attacks and theft within the first six months of the year - more than twice the number of such crimes during the same time period last year, according to the local Abendzeitung newspaper.
That means there was more than one crime committed each day, in particular at night and when alcohol was involved.
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, many of the crimes reported seemed to be connected to groups that regularly met at the station to drink.
The ban is supposed to be implemented in January, but an exact start date has not been determined, according to the Abendzeitung.
Opposition parties like the Greens and the Pirate party tried to stop the ban from being passed, arguing that it was not the right way to fight crime.
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