Saxon police plan increased forces for New Year's Eve

The Saxon police are preparing for New Year's Eve with more forces than usual for the typical celebrations and associated crimes. The Leipzig police department is planning the largest deployment.

In the trade fair city, the main areas of deployment will be in the city center, in the east around Eisenbahnstraße and in the south with the Connewitzer Kreuz, said spokesman Olaf Hoppe. This time, special attention is also being paid to Borna in the district of Leipzig. Pyrotechnics were fired at police officers there at the turn of the year last year.

In Leipzig, there will also be some traffic restrictions in the south, the city announced on Thursday. The access roads to Connewitzer Kreuz will be closed. Streetcars will run there according to a special timetable.

The Dresden police department is also planning its own New Year's Eve operation. Additional forces and riot police are planned in the state capital, said spokesman Marko Laske. "Basically, however, we are assuming a peaceful and party-oriented New Year's Eve." Experience from previous years shows that New Year's Eve in Dresden tends to be quiet.

No separate deployment is planned in Chemnitz, but a higher number of officers are on duty in the police stations than on other nights, said spokeswoman Jana Ulbricht. There is no local focus in the city. The police are expecting "the classic New Year's Eve crimes" such as assault and damage to property.

The Görlitz and Zwickau police directorates are also not planning any special New Year's Eve operations and are expecting typical New Year's Eve events.