Erding is planning video surveillance: Will it stop vandalism in the sports park?

Erding is planning video surveillance: Will it stop vandalism in the sports park?

Concerned citizens and city councilors look at the increasing cases of vandalism in the Gerd Vogt Sports Park in Erding with a mixture of incomprehension and frustration. Particularly affected is an Erding Bulls container, which has often been the target of vandalism in recent weeks. In order to stop this trend, the city of Erding is examining various measures, including the possibility of video surveillance. According to the information from Mercury CSU city councilor Walter Rauscher is concerned about the situation and demands consistent prosecution of the perpetrators. He suggests that the video material should only be available to the police in order to better investigate possible attacks.

Mayor Max Gotz, also from the CSU, supports the idea of ​​video surveillance, but emphasizes that the possibilities for surveillance must be examined on a property-specific basis and that the scope in this sensitive area is limited. He also noticed that the penalties for vandals do not act as a sufficient deterrent. Such preventive measures are more in demand than ever, because vandalism, bullying and other crimes in public spaces are unfortunately not uncommon.

Balancing of interests and legal situation

But before video surveillance is actually used in Erding, a comprehensive weighing of interests is necessary. This is important in order to find the right balance between deterring perpetrators and protecting citizens' freedom of movement. How Rickert Law Notes, the legal framework, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the new Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG), must be observed. The admissibility of video surveillance depends heavily on whether it serves to fulfill public tasks or legitimate interests.

A look at administrative court decisions shows that this topic has already been dealt with in various areas. For example, the Lüneburg Higher Administrative Court ruled on video surveillance in local public transport, while the Federal Administrative Court set strict guidelines with regard to dental practices. These examples highlight the need for careful consideration of each measure individually, particularly when private operators are involved in monitoring.

Additional measures and traffic regulations

Perhaps to calm people's minds, the city also discussed traffic regulations in the area. In Erding, 30 km/h speed limits were recently positioned correctly to increase safety during a folk music event at the farmhouse museum on the B388. Mayor Gotz made it clear that these measures are by no means a “rip-off” but rather serve the city’s precautionary duty of care.

The signs were installed on the Friday before the event and motorists should be prepared that only the faster drivers above 59km/h will face penalties. In view of this complex problem, it is to be hoped that both video surveillance and other measures can help to promote security and good coexistence in Erding in the long term.