Monday, November 18, 2019

The Holiday Season and Being Vigilant

We are around nine days away from the local Wiesbaden Christmas market opening up.  The regional news....Wiesbadenaktuell....carried a piece today on the opening.

The thing about this article....first, it has one significant picture and it predominately features two policemen in armor-vests, and carrying weapons.  Second, it talks mostly to the idea of your protection during this holiday season.

The city wants you to know that entry barriers will be put up, and maintained by private security forces.

The city wants you to know that a temp-facility will up and operational for the police near the market.  My take is that it's there mostly for them to warm up after walking around in the extreme cold.

The city wants you to have a safe and happy Christmas...while remaining vigilant.  Basically, it'd be helpful if you notice anything suspicious and report it.

The market, for all intensive purposes.....has become a target area.  I would say that 10-percent of the visitors think about it.  The bulk of people?  They still come for the food, good company, and gluhwein.

If you'd come to the market in the 1990s....there was generally one to two patrols of police walking around, and it was mostly to pick up on drunks.  Today?  There's probably three patrol patrols (minimum of two police each, sometimes four police).  Added into the mixture....at least a dozen cameras that are permanently mounted on local structures.

It's a sad part about the Christmas market, and the draw of the crowds now.  It's part of the safety business that you have to accept.  Even if you went to a smaller village operation for their market....you'd still have the potential threat, and some police patrolling.

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