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Police strike: arrests in Kalk and Höhenberg!
Police arrest two suspected thieves in Höhenberg; Drug control leads to the arrest of a 33-year-old on an e-scooter.
Police strike: arrests in Kalk and Höhenberg!
The focal point team has once again become active in Cologne. On Thursday, July 17th, the police carried out a key operation in the districts of Kalk and Höhenberg. Several people came into the sights of law enforcement officers. Two suspected thieves were caught who were observed in a parking lot on Vorsterstrasse around 3:40 p.m. The two men, aged 41 and 43, were sorting through stolen goods when the police intervened. When the older man was searched, the officers found an Apple watch, an MP3 player and a car key, while his accomplice had cash in the form of US dollars and euro notes as well as a charging cable. These items came from two previously broken-in vehicles in the area as well as a handbag that had been stolen from a 49-year-old woman in June. What is interesting is that one of the stolen debit cards has already been used to pay eight times. Both men were homeless and were arrested.
But the arrests didn't end there. At around 6:20 p.m., a 33-year-old man was checked on an e-scooter on Germaniastrasse. The joke was that he didn't have a valid insurance license plate and tried to hide a unit of cocaine during the check. A preliminary drug test revealed that this was not his only problem, as there was already an arrest warrant against him. His attempt to escape failed and he was taken to police headquarters.
Controls in Cologne city center
The control came into another significant light, because in 2023 a total of around 347,000 cases of drug crime were recorded in Germany. Particular attention is paid to cannabis, which has been partially legal since April 1, 2024, but still accounts for most drug cases. 208,000 of these cases involved cannabis, and the proportion of these cases remains consistently high. In total, around 55,500 drug trafficking offenses were registered in Germany in 2023, which illustrates the relevance and challenges of drug crime at a glance.
Social challenge
Drug crime is not only a legal problem, but also a major health and social challenge. The number of drug deaths in Germany rose to around 2,230 in 2023, and this is often the result of long-term health damage caused by excessive drug use. The situation is also aggravated by the smuggling of illegal narcotics, which causes additional problems in many cities.
Cologne is therefore not a protected area when it comes to drug-related crime. However, the ongoing checks and arrests show that the police are determined to counteract the activity. It remains to be seen whether these measures will actually help in the long term - but one thing is certain: there is still a lot of work ahead of us.