Will the arsonist of the large Berlin housing estate finally be caught?

Video cameras are now being installed in the Heerstraße Nord housing estate in Berlin. The real estate company Gewobag and the Berlin police want to find the criminal firecracker who has been terrorizing the settlement of 20,000 people near the Berlin town hall for months. Are there possibly even multiple perpetrators behind this?

“Now we will use video cameras in the settlement. We think it is more effective than using the security service,” Gewobag spokeswoman Anne Grubert told Spandau’s Tagesspiegel newsletter. “The decision about the video cameras has just been made and the police welcome it. We will now discuss the locations together. Of course, there will be signs that the area is under video surveillance…” On Thursday there was another round of crises . in the place.

It only burned again during the night: the flames were burning again in the cellar, this time in the Blasewitzer Ring, this time even in several cellars at the same time. Luckily there were no injuries, but nerves are on edge in West Berlin.

“Every day we think about how we can increase security. But from our point of view, it can only be done together with the police. We are a housing association, and that is where our houses are on fire. Therefore, we have a great interest. that this is finally over. We have now greatly increased cleaning in the district and are now in continuous use three days a week. We collect tons of rubbish there,” the Gewobag spokeswoman told the Tagesspiegel.

The central problem remains access to houses: the doors are often not locked, people enter the house too easily. When garbage room locks are broken, the locking system is renewed, but often breaks again quickly.

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Gewobag has looked into the use of a security service, but still doesn’t think it could be effective enough: there are simply too many doors, cellars and hallways for that. In addition, the large settlement is very winding. A huge amount of staff is needed if almost every door has to be guarded between 11pm and 6am, especially since there are also fires during the day.

According to information from the Tagesspiegel, more than 50 cameras should be ordered. The case has also reached the House of Representatives and is known there. Of course, the cameras will not be hung on public roads, but at the entrances of houses.

20,000 people live in apartment buildings on the western outskirts of Berlin. Recently 75 arson attacks were counted, now it must be 80. Criminals keep other families in danger of death and sleepless. Technology, Internet and elevators fail, a particularly bad consequence for 17-story houses.

Apparently, the police suspect that a whole group of young people is behind the crimes

The police have been involved for months and are investigating with undercover investigators and visible police. All fire devils known to date living in the settlement have been visited by the police (“danger speech”). There were arrests of young people, but the fires continued to burn. The police information mobile is often on the spot, there are notes posted on the entrances of the houses, but please close the doors. A reward of up to 1,000 euros was offered for information that would allow the author or authors to be identified. So far without success.

As “BZ” reported on Thursday, the police no longer necessarily assume a single perpetrator. Consequently, the specially deployed investigation group “Quartier” is looking for a group of young people made up of more than 20 possible perpetrators between the ages of 13 and 20. The State Criminal Police therefore has “certain knowledge about the group of perpetrators”, only that the seizure and the proof of the crimes are difficult.

According to the newspaper, the investigation group requests witnesses by calling 030/4664-912112, by email at [email protected] or at the Internet station of the Berlin police.

Mayor reports vigilantes

“I hope that the police will soon succeed here and catch the other perpetrators,” Spandau mayor Carola Brückner told the SPD party magazine “Vorwarts” on Thursday and reports in detail on the conditions in the settlement. “I can understand the demands … for video surveillance in public spaces and also to reactivate the old protection of private security.”

The mayor reports that there was even a kind of vigilante group. “I absolutely caution against taking action into your own hands and calling a so-called ‘neighborhood watch’, as has sadly already happened. This can quickly go in the wrong direction.”