Cologne's Police Lose Control: Chaos Ensues

On New Year's Eve in 2016, gangs of men of North African and Arab appearance sexually assaulted and robbed women in Cologne, Germany. The attacks, which took place outside the city's main railway station, sparked a debate about the country's open-door policy on migrants, with critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policies arguing that many of the attackers were recent immigrants. The police were also criticised for their handling of the events, with officers accused of being overwhelmed by the violence and failing to respond to calls for help. In the aftermath of the attacks, 121 women in Cologne filed criminal complaints, and the police identified 31 suspects, including 18 asylum seekers. The head of Cologne's police force was removed from his post following the attacks, with authorities saying the move was necessary to restore public trust in the police.

Police were aware of the situation but did not act

On New Year's Eve in Cologne, Germany, a group of about 400 to 500 young men had gathered outside the city's main train station and its famed Gothic cathedral by 9 p.m. Two hours later, their number had risen to at least 1,000, and many were drunk and out of control, according to Cologne police press spokesman Karlo Kreitz. The police were aware of the situation but did not act.

A half hour before midnight, the police cleared and shut down the area in front of the train station, including the wide steps leading up to the cathedral, fearing panicked reactions because people were firing fireworks into the crowd. The area reopened before 1 a.m. on New Year's Day to allow revellers to catch their trains and subways.

That night, a few crying distraught women turned to the police for help, describing that they had been fondled and/or robbed on the square in front of the main train station by young, drunk men that looked North African or Arab. That, however, did not alert the officers to a situation that was getting out of hand. According to spokesman Kreitz, more than 140 police officers were on duty that night in Cologne. "It was dark, all you see is a mass of heads," Kreitz said, adding that people underestimate the dynamics of a situation involving a highly aggressive mob.

At around nine a.m. on New Year's Day, the Cologne police described the night as "relaxed" and mostly peaceful—an assessment they soon had to correct as a grave misinterpretation. "On January 1, the dimension of the events wasn't clear at all, because complaints only came in bit by bit," spokesman Kreitz argued.

As of Thursday, the number of criminal complaints filed by victims stood at 121, and sixteen people were being investigated in connection with the crimes. The local Cologne newspaper "Express", quoting an unnamed policeman, reported that arrests had been made, and of these, at least 14 were said to be Syrians and one Afghan, all of whom had only been in Germany for several weeks.

The police certainly knew the reality of who had been on the streets. On the night, some young men had shown police their asylum documents. An internal police report describes a man telling the police: "I am Syrian. You have to treat me kindly. Mrs Merkel invited me".

The police's handling of the night's events has been sharply criticised. The head of Cologne's police force, Wolfgang Albers, was removed from his post "to restore public trust in the police". He had been accused of holding back information about the attacks, particularly about the origin of the suspects.

Police took down personal details of 71 possible offenders but only arrested four

On New Year's Eve in Cologne, Germany, a group of about 400 to 500 young men had gathered outside the city's main train station by 9 p.m. Two hours later, their number had risen to at least 1,000, and many were drunk and out of control. The men were described as gangs of North African and Arab appearance. The police shut down the area in front of the train station half an hour before midnight, fearing panicked reactions as people were firing fireworks into the crowd. The area was reopened before 1 a.m. on New Year's Day.

That night, several distraught women approached the police for help, describing that they had been groped and/or robbed on the square in front of the main train station by young, drunk men. More than 140 police officers were on duty that night in Cologne, but the officers did not seem to be alerted to the situation getting out of hand. The Cologne police described the night as "relaxed" and mostly peaceful in a press statement on New Year's Day, an assessment they soon had to correct.

By the evening of 2 January, 30 women had registered criminal complaints for sexual harassment and theft. Local police started an investigation as more details about that night began to emerge. The number of criminal complaints had risen to 60 by the time the Cologne police reported their findings at a press conference, which the chief of police, Wolfgang Albers, termed "a new dimension of crime".

By Thursday, the number of criminal complaints filed by victims had risen to 121, and 16 people were being investigated in connection with the crimes. According to a police report published by Germany's Die Welt am Sonntag newspaper, officers deployed outside Cologne's main railway station arrested only four suspects on the night of the attacks and took down the personal details of 71 other possible offenders.

The handling of the night's events by the police has been sharply criticised. The police chief, Wolfgang Albers, was removed from his post "to restore public trust in the police". He had been accused of holding back information about the attacks, particularly about the origin of the suspects.

Police described the night as relaxed and peaceful

On the night of December 31, 2015, in Cologne, Germany, a group of about 400 to 500 young men had gathered outside the city's main train station and its famed Gothic cathedral by 9 p.m. Two hours later, their number had risen to at least 1,000, and many were drunk and out of control, according to Cologne police press spokesman Karlo Kreitz. The police described the night as "relaxed and peaceful", but this was soon proven to be a grave misinterpretation as the true nature of the events became clear.

The police shut down the area in front of the train station half an hour before midnight, fearing panicked reactions as people were firing fireworks into the crowd. The area was reopened before 1 a.m. on New Year's Day to allow revellers to catch their trains and subways. That night, a few distraught women approached the police for help, reporting that they had been fondled and/or robbed on the square in front of the main train station by young, drunk men who appeared to be of North African or Arab origin. However, this did not seem to alert the officers to the seriousness of the situation.

According to spokesman Kreitz, more than 140 police officers were on duty that night in Cologne. He explained that it was dark, and the officers could only see a mass of heads, underestimating the dynamics of a situation involving a highly aggressive mob. The police's initial assessment of the night as "relaxed and peaceful" was based on the fact that complaints were only coming in bit by bit, and the full dimension of the events was not clear until later.

As of January 2, 30 women had registered criminal complaints for sexual harassment and theft, prompting the local police to launch an investigation. The number of criminal complaints continued to rise, reaching 516 by January 10, with 40% of the complaints including sexual assault and two reports of rape. The attacks sparked a debate about Germany's open-door policy on migrants, as gangs of men described as being of North African and Arab appearance were reported to be behind the assaults.

Federal authorities identified 18 asylum-seekers among 31 suspects linked to the crimes. The suspects included nine Algerians, eight Moroccans, four Syrians, five Iranians, two Germans, and one each from Iraq, Serbia, and the US. The police's handling of the situation and their delay in releasing information about the origin of the suspects led to sharp criticism, resulting in the removal of the head of Cologne's police force, Wolfgang Albers, to restore public trust.

Police chief Wolfgang Albers was removed from his post

The removal of Police Chief Wolfgang Albers from his post was a direct response to the Cologne attacks on New Year's Eve, which saw gangs of men of North African and Arab appearance commit sexual assaults and robberies against women. The violence sparked a debate about Germany's open-door policy on migration, with critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policies citing the attacks as evidence of the need for stricter controls.

Albers was accused of withholding information about the attacks and the origin of the suspects, with state interior minister Ralf Jaeger suspending him from his duties "to restore public trust in the police". The removal, however, was not expected to affect the investigation into the events of that night.

The Cologne attacks had a profound impact in Germany and across Europe, raising questions about the country's refugee policies and the role of the police in addressing such incidents. The initial police report described the evening as "relaxed" and "largely peaceful," but this was later corrected as a "grave misinterpretation."

As details of the attacks emerged, politicians reacted strongly, with lawmakers calling for the perpetrators to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Chancellor Merkel condemned the violence and suggested examining the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes in Germany. The German justice minister also threatened foreign attackers with deportation, stating that it was "completely conceivable" given the nature of the crimes.

The handling of the situation by the police faced sharp criticism, with angry women protesting against their "utter incompetence" in failing to protect the victims. Similar assaults in other German cities, such as Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Bielefeld, further fueled concerns about the effectiveness of the police response.

The removal of Police Chief Wolfgang Albers was intended to address the public's loss of trust in the police and signal a commitment to transparency and accountability in addressing the issues that led to the attacks.

The attacks sparked a debate about Germany's open-door policy on migrants

The attacks in Cologne on New Year's Eve sparked a debate about Germany's open-door policy on migrants. The assaults, which included sexual assaults, muggings, and theft, were committed by gangs of predominantly North African immigrants from Algeria and Morocco. Many of these individuals were known to the Cologne police as pickpockets and muggers who frequented the main train station, and some were thought to be illegal immigrants.

The attacks fuelled criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door refugee policies, which had allowed more than one million migrants to enter Germany in 2015. Opponents of Germany's welcoming stance seized on the attacks to argue for stricter immigration controls and more substantial limits on immigration. There were calls for caps on the number of incoming refugees, limits on welfare benefits, the return of economic migrants, and greater control of borders. The far-right and anti-Islamic movements also used the attacks to justify their anti-immigrant views.

In response to the growing public outcry, German officials announced they would scale back their open-arms policy towards refugees. Chancellor Merkel proposed tightening asylum laws, suggesting that asylum seekers convicted of crimes or on probation or in prison be expelled from Germany. However, this proposal faced challenges due to the lack of documentation of many migrants and the difficulty of finding countries willing to accept them back.

The attacks also triggered a broader debate in Germany about reconciling law and order with its role as a haven for those seeking refuge. Some argued for the deportation of criminal foreigners, while others emphasised the need to protect the right to asylum and prevent migrant exclusion. The Cologne attacks highlighted the challenges of integrating a large number of refugees into German society and the potential erosion of civility, referring to respectful and friendly behaviour towards strangers, which is crucial for successful integration.

The debate also extended to discussions about the role of law enforcement and the police response to the attacks. There was widespread criticism that the police were overwhelmed and reacted too slowly in protecting women. However, the police defended their actions, stating that they had cleared the square when the situation became tense and dangerous.

Frequently asked questions