Crimes have always existed. In comparison, the police with safety vest are a modern creation. Once, in the middle Ages, it was a matter of citizenship to muck up tragedy. Anyone who witnessed a crime screamed “Zester und Mario”. And whoever heard the nagging was obliged to help. As it is to this day, everyone was allowed to hold a criminal and give it to the power of the state. Lawyers speak of the right of every person. At that time, however, the duties of every man went on significantly: ordinary citizens had to take on graffiti at night. Who could afford it, bought himself by a “watch money” free. In 1457, the city of Munich finally turned the security indulgence into a general tax and paid with the income. The history of urban security began 560 years ago.
If in the course of the centuries one finds for Munich, then the: Previously it went gloomily. The city is becoming more and more secure. At the same time, more and more security personnel in safety clothing are bustling on their streets and alleys, in their tunnels and trains. The city’s new security service is only the most recent example of a variety of protectors, which seems increasingly confused from the outside. Who is responsible for what? Who can do what? And: Does Munich need so much security?
The cool look at statistical data should not obscure the view of destiny. Nevertheless, soberness is advisable in heated times. The facts say: Munich was and is the safest city in Germany. And secondly, Munich is becoming safer. In 20 years, the number of crimes fell by 15 per cent. Also the number of violent crimes is declining, twelve percent in ten years.
Even if one of the gruesome amok run at the Olympia shopping center in 2016 is particularly painful in the memory, the shots at a young policewoman last week, or when one thinks of the death – such controversy is not a new phenomenon. The terrorist attack on the Oktoberfest is now 37 years. The Olympic assassination happened 44 years ago. And almost 100 years ago Minister President Kurt Eisner was shot dead in the street.
Over the past decades, the city has increasingly invested in its security. And if one can believe the statistics, it pays off. The latest example is the “municipal public service” of the city, KAD for short. As soon as they are hired and trained, 106 employees are to be on the road mainly at the main station, the Old Botanical Garden. They do not wear any guns, but a reflective vest and a stimulus spray. They are allowed a bit more than the right of everyone. They can make space and fines, search for suspects and, in the future, take them on a guard, which still has to be created. The KAD is to create an additional visible presence in those places in the city, where it is sometimes even more violent. However, it is by no means the only service to ensure order in the city.