The Federal Police is stepping up checks at railway stations and on trains in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on 13 and 14 November 2026 Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The operation is intended, according to the force, to tackle violent crime on local and long-distance services. Passengers should expect bags and other items they are carrying to be checked as well.
The main focus, according to the Federal Police Directorate in Bad Bramstedt will be the stations in in Kiel, Neumünster and Lübeck as well as Schwerin, Rostock and Stralsund. The authority said it would also carry out checks at other stations and on trains in service. It is working with the state police forces, local authorities and DB Sicherheit in summary.
For passengers, this means a more visible presence of officers at the selected locations. The Federal Police also pointed to bans on carrying weapons and dangerous items on trains and at railway stations. The specific rules that apply depend on the location and the regulations in force there. The announcement of the checks alone does not mean that the same special bans apply everywhere.
The Federal Police have also announced additional measures elsewhere in northern Germany for 13 and 14 November. The directorate Hanover plans to step up its presence at the main stations in Bremen, Hamburg and Hanover. According to the directorate, one focus there will be on prohibited and dangerous items. Alongside additional police officers, sniffer dogs and crime-prevention staff are to be deployed. The directorate plans to publish an assessment after the operation has ended.
The context extends beyond railway stations in northern Germany. According to information provided by the federal government, the Federal Police recorded 14,049 violent offences linked to railway stations and trains nationwide in the first half of 2026, in its police incident statistics. The statistics also recorded 796 weapons offences. These figures describe recorded cases; they are not an assessment of the checks now announced and, on their own, do not indicate how effective those checks will be.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the Federal Police Directorate in Sankt Augustin issued a time-limited general order for certain railway facilities. In the Cologne area, it covers, among other locations, the main station and the route between Köln Messe/Deutz and Porz-Wahn, including the local trains running there. According to the authorities, the ban applies from 15:00 on 13 November 2026 until 03:00 on 15 November 2026. It is a measure limited to a specific place and period, and should not be equated with the checks in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The police say operations of this kind are intended to prevent crime and strengthen the public’s sense of security. Whether the measures prevent violence or remove prohibited items from circulation at the individual locations can only be assessed through a subsequent review. No results assessment was available for the Bad Bramstedt directorate’s operation at the time it was announced.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).