The local government in Berlin has announced that staff at outdoor pools will begin checking bathers’ IDs before they enter the pool. The measure is a response to recurring fights at the city’s Freibäder.
On a visit to Prinzenbad, one of the most popular swimming pools in Berlin, Mayor Kai Wegner and Senator for the Interior Iris Spranger, announced plans to introduce mandatory ID checks at the gates of the city’s pools.
The new policy is a response to a trend across Germany in recent years, which has seen fights break out at swimming pools with increasing regularity during the summer months. In the most recent local case, Berlin’s Colombiabad was closed after many members of staff took sick leave as an act of protest against the level of physical violence they face at work. The facility only reopened on July 17.
Now, bathers will have to book a personalised ticket in advance of their visit and show their ID upon entry. CCTV surveillance will increase and more security staff will be on duty at certain pools, namely Prinzenbad and Colombiabad.
Germany’s Federal Association of Swimming Pool Supervisors recently called for a stronger police presence at outdoor swimming pools to help with the problem, but police instead responded but suggesting pools impose stricter measures when it comes to banning those who break the rules.
In Berlin, pool employees recently contacted Berliner Bäder Betriebe (BBB) the company responsible for 61 of the city’s swimming pools, to complain about the “unacceptable extent” of the violent outbursts.
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