The Volksbad in Dortmund Image: AFP
The Federal Association of German Swimming Champions has spoken out in favor of a stronger police presence in outdoor pools. “We are increasingly experiencing aggression and disrespect in the pools,” said the head of the Harzheim association to the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”.
The Federal Association of German Swimming Champions has spoken out in favor of a stronger police presence in outdoor pools. “We are increasingly experiencing aggression and disrespect in the pools,” said association president Peter Harzheim of the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” on Thursday. The police should therefore also stop by in baths on patrols “to signal that the law applies here too,” said Harzheim.
He complained that swimming champions were often no longer perceived as people to be respected, and that female colleagues were particularly affected and were sometimes threatened. “The problems are very much concentrated in bathrooms in big cities,” said the association president.
Outdoor pools are places where many people from different backgrounds come together. “That has potential for stress.” This is then expressed, for example, in mass brawls, which have occurred again and again in recent years. “You have to say: A macho culture has spread in many cities that doesn’t follow the rules – you can tell that in the outdoor pools,” Harzheim said.
Nevertheless, the head of the association emphasized that the profession of swimming champion is still a beautiful and varied profession. Outdoor pools are also predominantly places where people spend their free time peacefully. “To prevent the problems from getting worse, we depend on the presence of the police,” he emphasized.
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