The former head of the Bremen GdP has a novel idea to tackle the rising problem of knife attacks. Could this proposal be the solution?
The German Police Union (GdP) has put forward an unconventional suggestion to reduce knife attacks: offering material incentives and an amnesty rule to encourage owners to hand over dangerous knives. “For this measure to be effective, the federal government must create serious incentives for those handing in their weapons,” said Jochen Kopelke, the GdP federal chairman and native of Bremen.
“Specifically, this could mean: one year of Netflix for handing in a banned butterfly knife,” he said in a statement. Kopelke, who began his police career in Bremen in 2008, emphasized the urgency of the high number of knife attacks, which necessitates quick action.
2023: Police respond to around 9,000 knife incidents
In 2023 alone, police responded to approximately 9,000 knife-related incidents. These often resulted in severe, life-threatening, or fatal injuries to the victims. While a ban on carrying knives is desirable, it also requires enforcement, which is challenging due to insufficient police personnel.
In Germany, certain bladed weapons, such as butterfly knives and push daggers, are generally prohibited. Additionally, there are knives that, although not entirely banned, are restricted from being carried in public unless they are used for professional, cultural, sporting, or recognized purposes. This includes knives with one-handed locking blades or fixed blades longer than twelve centimeters.
Kopelke also advocated for simplifying the regulations regarding the carrying of knives in public. He stated, “German weapons law is currently too complicated to clearly regulate the handling of knives.”
