A committee of the district assembly of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg is calling for a construction freeze for the Kotti guard. “Until the round table is implemented, no structural measures should be initiated for the police station,” says the decision recommended by the Committee for Urban Development. The district council will make a decision next week. It would be a clear signal against the plans of Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD).

As reported and now confirmed by the interior administration, the rental agreement for the Kotti guard station in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg has already been signed between Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH (BIM) and Gewobag. Spranger wants to set up the more than 3.75 million euro police station in the wing of the building above Adalbertstrasse, despite massive criticism of the location in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.

Even before the special meeting of the Urban Development and Participation Committees on Tuesday evening, Spranger’s coalition partners from the Greens and Left, local residents’ initiatives and tradespeople had repeatedly called for further talks and an open process for finding a location for the Kotti guard station.

Committee chair Moheb Shafaqyar (left) reports a “controversial and heated” meeting at the “packed Café Kotti”. The café is located in the gallery of the New Kreuzberg Center next to Spranger’s intended location. District Mayor Clara Herrmann (Greens), district politicians and resident groups such as the Tenants’ Council and Kotti

In its message from Monday, the interior administration itself suggested a meeting with all those involved, i.e. with the Senate, district, politicians, initiatives, police – but only in August. Spranger would like to give an impetus for a “holistic, cross-departmental concept”. “For seven years there has been discussion that we should finally make concrete progress – also beyond the Kotti guard,” explained the interior senator.

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However, Spranger is not talking about a new location. Moheb Shafaqyar (left) on this: “The interior senator’s insistence on wanting to set up a guard right up here in the NKZ is pure provocation of the people and the social environment.” The location is approved by nobody except Spranger. “Even with the police themselves, things are bubbling up.” The police union (GdP) had openly criticized the guard as a show object.

The SPD submitted an amendment to the Greens’ resolution, which calls for a round table with all those involved, but it was rejected. The district office is asked to “participate in the round table convened by the senate administration”. In addition, the SPD parliamentary group distanced itself from the planned location in the amendment: “We are critical of the choice of the current location. We recommend finding an alternative location. We reject video surveillance in crime-prone locations.

“The SPD had requested that the interior senator be praised,” criticized Shafaqyar. Ultimately, the left and the Greens decided to “tighten up” the present resolution, reports Shafaqyar. Accordingly, in addition to the round table with all actors, a freeze on the construction of the police station is demanded. In addition, tested alternative locations are to be made transparent.