As part of a joint operation by the Aachen police, the public order office, the city treasury, the federal police and customs, a total of twelve businesses in Aachen were checked between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. last Friday, November 14, where a total of 153 people were present.

The public order office inspected several well-known kiosks. Among other things, the colleagues found violations with regard to price labeling. Two establishments were characterized by a low inventory of goods, so that the internal service subsequently checks whether the licensing requirements correspond to the actual circumstances and how income is generated there.

An establishment in the eastern district was open and serving alcohol despite not having a permit. The colleagues from the public order office closed and sealed the establishment. The violations found are investigated by the office staff and punished accordingly.

In another business, the findings on site also did not comply with the conditions of the commercial permit and are subsequently checked by the office staff. A responsible person was not found. In addition, there were neither drinks menus nor information on the protection of young people and non-smokers. The licensing situation for the gaming machines on site will also be checked again.

During checks in Antoniusstraße, the public order office was primarily on the move with colleagues from customs. The colleagues checked all the women on site for their identity and that they had the necessary health certificates. One woman was not allowed to continue working because she did not have a health certificate. Customs identified another lady who was working with a forged proof of identity. She was arrested on the spot by customs and taken into custody for further investigation.

In three of the establishments inspected, the colleagues found that the emergency call system, which is designed to protect prostitutes, was not working or not working properly. In addition, the security staff assigned to the houses were unable to prove the necessary reliability by means of a corresponding certificate, nor did they have a registered authorization in the so-called guard register. The public order office prohibited the further operation of the three houses and sealed the buildings accordingly.

In another event location for which a permit as a pub and restaurant exists, the issued permit must subsequently be compared with the actual findings. The office staff are currently investigating whether any infringements need to be punished.

Four knives, an axe and a hammer were found in a kiosk on Adalbertsteinweg and seized by the police to avert danger.

During an identity check on a 53-year-old man from Belgium in Antoniusstraße, police officers found a blank-firing pistol including ammunition, a telescopic baton, handcuffs and a police badge, which appeared to be a toy. The man's statement that he was a police officer in Belgium could not be verified. He is now being investigated for violating the weapons law. The PTB weapon, the ammunition and the baton were seized.

At around 11.30 p.m. in Pontstraße, the riot police from Aachen encountered a group of young people, including an 18-year-old from Aachen. As the group was obviously consuming nitrous oxide, they were to be checked by the police. When first approached, the 18-year-old was aggressive and distant, insulted the officers and did not follow any police orders, instead repeatedly resisting the identity check. In the end, he had to be handcuffed and brought to the ground. The young man was then taken into custody. As he was apparently under the influence of intoxicating substances, a blood sample was taken from him.

Traffic was checked on Roermonder Straße in Aachen heading into the city. The traffic service officers checked a total of 418 people in 354 vehicles. One driver did not have a driver's license. He was banned from continuing his journey and criminal proceedings are underway against him for driving without a license. Three drivers were under the influence of alcohol or narcotics (2x alcohol, 1x BTM) and a blood sample was taken from them. One of the drivers (37 years old from Kerkrade (NL)) resisted the police measures and insulted the officers. There was a warrant for the arrest of one person, which could be settled on the spot by paying the fine. During the traffic checks, the officers also discovered various violations: children were not properly secured in two vehicles, three cars did not have the correct lighting, one person was not wearing a seatbelt and 18 people did not have their driving license or vehicle registration document with them. The license plate was missing on one car, the tires on two cars were not in order and one car was more than eight months overdue for an MOT inspection.

A total of 726 people, 388 vehicles and 17 commercial enterprises were checked during the entire operation in all sections of the city and urban region.

The joint priority operations and inter-agency cooperation are very much welcomed by all those involved and will continue to take place regularly in the future. The aim is to combat violent crime in public spaces, maintain control pressure on delinquent individuals and gain police and regulatory insights.