Since the planned attack on a concert by US musician Taylor Swift in Vienna two weeks ago, it has been known that terrorists are trying to infiltrate major events. The city of Cologne, as the organizer, decided not to check the security forces before NRW Day.
Security guards caught committing crimes
According to research by WDR, Cologne police happened to notice two men during a traffic check last weekend who were on their way to NRW Day to begin their duties as security guards for a private security company. When officers checked the two men, they found that the men were considered a security risk due to criminal offenses and therefore could not be used as security guards at public events. The police reported this to the city of Cologne. The men were then sent home.
The case of the two men shows that there was apparently no systematic review of the forces of private security companies deployed in connection with NRW Day. Even people with a long criminal record were assigned to work in Cologne.
The usual verification process
At large events, it is usual for private security guards who are to be deployed, for example, at barriers or as stewards, to be checked by the police and the federal and state constitutional protection authorities at least two weeks before the event. In addition, a comparison is made with the nationwide “security guard register”. All private security guards working in Germany must be registered in the register. There they receive an identification number with which they can prove their suitability and qualifications.
All these checks apparently did not take place before NRW Day, although 200,000 visitors and prominent politicians such as Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst and NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul were expected to attend the celebration on the banks of the Rhine.
In a written statement, the city of Cologne stated that it was not legally obliged to inspect private security services.
Security expert Andreas Rech, who himself managed a security company and now works for the Verdi trade union as an expert in the security industry, considers a lack of controls to be an incalculable risk:
“All security concepts at major events – including those of the police – are based on the fact that private security forces do not pose a threat, but rather that they contribute to the protection of visitors.”
Andreas Rech, security industry expert at Verdi
In Vienna, the suspected supporter of the terrorist organization “Islamic State” is said to have hired a security company in order to inconspicuously get close to a Taylor Swift concert.
Our sources:
The WDR on August 20, 2024 also on television in the WDR Lokalzeit from Cologne.
