Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker Adopts New Security Measures to Combat Sexual Attacks Against Women In Germany
Reuters reported Tuesday about 90 women were sexually assaulted, threatened, and robbed outside Cologne's cathedral in Germany on New Year's Eve. Police authorities said the perpetrators were mostly drunk men aging between 18 and 35 years old, all of which reportedly looked like they were from "the Arab or North African region."
The New Year's Eve celebration saw the gathering of about 1,000 men in the square which split into large groups as police officers cleared the area to stop stop people from throwing fireworks from the top of the steps into the crowd below.
The incident fired up widespread criticism from the general public as it appeared that police officers failed to stop the violence. On the other hand, political leaders announced that the unfortunate incident should not be linked to the influx of refugees in the country.
"But if North Africans were the perpetrators for which there is some indication there should not be a taboo and people should not gloss over it," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said.
BBC reported Wednesday that German Police Union Head Rainer Wendt said the number of officers deployed during that night was simply not enough.
However, Officer Wolfgang Albers, Cologne's chief of police, insisted they were well-placed and well-prepared considering the presence of 70 federal officers in the stations and about 140 police officers deployed in the city center.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed resentment over the incident. She directed the authorities to perform whatever they can to find the persons responsible for the "disgusting attacks."
Meanwhile, Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker described the attack as "a new scale of organized crime" and said they will be adopting new steps to avoid similar incidents from arising, such as increasing the number of police deployed during big events as well as installing more security cameras in crowded area.
