In the underpass of Ahrensburg Regional Station in Schleswig-Holstein, ten police officers block the path for knife checks. This measure stems from a state ordinance banning the carrying of readily accessible knives in public transport since December 23, 2024. The controls are part of broader reporting on Germany's urban landscape.
The scene unfolds in the tiled underpass of Ahrensburg Regional Station. A phalanx of ten female and male officers blocks the way, led by the chief with a clipboard. This is a knife control, officially termed 'Non-occasion-based check of the state ordinance prohibiting the carrying of weapons and knives in public transport vehicles.'
Since December 23, 2024, it has been prohibited in Schleswig-Holstein to carry a knife 'readily accessible' in buses, trains, and on platforms. 'Readily accessible' means it takes at most three hand movements to draw the weapon. This regulation aims to enhance safety in public transport.
The reporting is part of a ZEIT series responding to Friedrich Merz's criticism of the German cityscape. The newspaper sent 20 reporters to 20 locations to examine the urban landscape more closely, focusing on topics like asylum policy, crime, migration, police, and security policy. In Ahrensburg, it highlights the impact of such security measures on daily life.