Berlin water sports under pressure: racer and lack of control!

Berlin water sports under pressure: racer and lack of control!

Berlin, Deutschland - The Berlin waters are a popular meeting place for water sports enthusiasts, party rables and various leisure activities in summer. However, the floating tourism also brings with it challenges that affect security on the waterways. Rower Jörg Polenske from the Spree Ruder Club Köpenick expresses concerns about the increasing ruthlessness of motor boats, which disturb the calm atmosphere and can bring about potentially dangerous situations. According to a report by rbb24 , the presence of the water protection police has been perceived as insufficient in recent years. Many water sports enthusiasts warn of apps and chat groups of upcoming controls, which further illustrates the problem.

The Berlin water protection police currently has around 170 emergency services who are responsible for monitoring all waterways in the capital. Their equipment consists of 15 old steel boats, three stocking tubes, three civil boats and two Bos-Watercrafts. However, the interior management has determined that no budget is available for the procurement of new boats, even though the Senate has announced that it can purchase a new steel boat annually from 2024. So far, however, this has not been implemented.

increase in water tourism and falling offenses

In the past ten years, the sales of the water tourism industry in Berlin-Brandenburg have increased by 50 percent. In this context, the declining number of traffic offenses on the Berlin waters is remarkable: In 2024, only 808 administrative offenses were registered, which is a decline compared to previous years. The number of ship accidents also decreased from 122 to 89 in 2024. In 2023, only 18 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs were found.

Rainer Wendt, Federal Chairman of the German Police Union, pleads for a doubling of the emergency services within the water protection police to ensure adequate control pressure. However, the interior management is currently not planning to expand the personnel strength.

training of the water protection police

The officers of the water protection police go through a comprehensive training that begins with training in the regular protective police. Subsequently, a multi -year use is used for different police sections or operational hundreds before applicants are given the opportunity to switch to the water protection police. These transitions are bound to an extensive selection process.

The training for WSP officials includes a three-month specialist course at the WSP school in Hamburg. In addition, you have to continuously take part in other courses, including the FM-AND ANO-GUITION course and the radar course. The acquisition of the driver's license for service boats takes place within the Water Protection Police Berlin, which significantly increases the operational readiness of the officials, such as berlin.de

There are specific prerequisites for the application, such as a university entrance qualification for the high -rise service of the protective police. If the test result is inadequate, there is the option of being automatically taken into account for the middle service. Communication on application procedures is mainly done by email and via a postbox in the application portal, so that applicants should regularly check their status-a recommendation that is also taken up by 110procent.berlin.de