Union: German police face high risk of violence on New Year's Eve

The German Police Trade Union (GdP) fears fresh violence against emergency services at the turn of the year on Wednesday night.

In previous years, there have been numerous firework attacks on police officers or emergency services in several cities across Germany on New Year's Eve.

"The anonymity and the impression that one would not be held accountable for crimes on New Year's Eve tempt people to commit offences," GdP federal chairman Jochen Kopelke told dpa.

For police officers, he said it is "very dangerous and partly unpredictable."

Kopelke assessed the potential for violence as "very high" and "traditionally also extreme when it comes to targeted attacks or ambushes against police officers."

In Berlin alone, 4,300 police officers are expected to ensure safety during New Year celebrations on the streets, which is 3,300 more than on normal nights. The fire brigade in the capital is deploying 1,600 emergency personnel, three times as many as usual.

The police presence in the country's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia has been increased to a total of 7,600 police officers.