The Police Union (GdP) has expressed strong approval for the alcohol ban across all German train stations, which comes into effect this Thursday. Andreas Roßkopf, the GdP chairman for the Federal Police region, told the “Rheinische Post” that banning alcohol consumption at stations is “absolutely necessary.” He noted that because many people consumed alcohol at train stations, drug use frequently occurred alongside it, which significantly increases the propensity for violence and aggression.
Roßkopf pointed out that stations where prohibitions are already in place have shown positive results. He stated that aggression levels have decreased in those areas. Based on these experiences, Roßkopf advocated for even stricter controls, suggesting that an outright ban on alcohol sales in station businesses starting later in the evening would be a useful additional measure. He believes that generally limiting both the sale and consumption of alcohol helps to curb violence and aggressive criminal behavior.
In contrast, the Federal Working Group for Homeless Aid has raised criticisms of the planned regulation. A spokesperson told the “Rheinische Post” that the impact of a nationwide alcohol ban on people who are homeless and struggling with addiction must not be overlooked. For homeless individuals, train stations often serve as vital, relatively safe, and protected shelters from the weather.
The spokesperson cautioned that if these locations are removed, affected individuals would be forced into more isolated areas that offer less protection and that are harder for outreach social workers to reach. Furthermore, a ban does not treat addiction or eliminate the causes of homelessness. Instead, the spokesperson argues that the focus should be on socioeconomic and housing policies: implementing low-threshold addiction support and healthcare directly on the ground, increasing outreach initiatives (“Streetwork”), and expanding the number of accessible service points nationwide.
