The police union GdP anticipates up to 4,500 officers for the nuclear waste transport from Jülich to Ahaus in North Rhine-Westphalia. Landeschef Patrick Schlüter compared the effort to football derbies. Interior Minister Herbert Reul would prefer to skip the transports if possible.
The transport of nuclear waste from the experimental reactor shut down in 1988 in Jülich to the intermediate storage in Ahaus requires extensive police presence. Patrick Schlüter, head of the GdP in North Rhine-Westphalia, told the «Rheinische Post» that up to 4,500 officers will be needed. «For comparison: A derby between Dortmund and Schalke or Mönchengladbach and Köln usually involves 2,500 to 3,000 officers,» he said. The GdP considers the deployment unnecessary but is satisfied with the radiation protection and occupational safety concept that exceeds legal requirements. The nuclear waste consists of around 300,000 fuel element pebbles in 152 Castor containers. The route is about 170 kilometers long, with convoys expected to consist of up to four heavy transporters. Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) stated: «If it were up to me, I could gladly do without the upcoming Castor transports. But police work is not a wish list.» He highlighted the police's experience in handling such challenges. The high number of personnel accounts for potential demonstrations. Schlüter warned: «It would be the worst-case scenario if opponents managed to stop the transport en route.» Police are closely monitoring activists from Lützerath, as that scene can mobilize quickly. Germany has no final repositories, only intermediate storage facilities like Ahaus.
