Today, on the day of German Unity, Oktoberfest is celebrated again. Then the biggest party in the world with several million visitors comes to an end. The Wiesnwache police officers are not just there, they are in the middle of it. They are asked by friendly visitors to take selfies when the sun is shining, but they also have to intervene when drunks attack each other after their fifth pint of beer.
Enrico Unger has worked as a police officer at the Oktoberfest since 2007. The 44-year-old, who in real life works at the police station in the Olympic Park, leads a group at Oktoberfest. In an interview with t-online, he described how he personally experienced the last 17 days of Oktoberfest as a police officer.
When the mood changes
What does a typical day look like for a police officer at the largest festival in the world? Completely different. On the one hand, Unger and his group, six colleagues in total, are constantly on the construction site to demonstrate their presence. And in most cases the police are welcome guests there. According to him, it is also typical for Oktoberfest guests to ask him and his colleagues for selfies. The police officers are actually a popular photo opportunity at Oktoberfest.
But it’s not just photos that are part of the daily routine at Oktoberfest. “We are also there when the mood changes during an argument,” Unger explains in an interview with t-online. It is then your job to recognize such situations early and prevent a small argument from turning into a big fight.
‘A colleague put a police hat on the child’
Unger himself is the father of three children. When you ask him which mission was best for him, he starts thinking. But then it bubbles out of him. “It may not have been the nicest mission, but it was one that is important to me,” says the police officer.
A report was filed with the police by a father on Sunday. He was so drunk that he no longer knew ‘where the back and the front are’. Nevertheless, the man had his five-year-old son with him. Police then tried to accompany the man from Oktoberfest and put him in a taxi or track down relatives. The father, who was completely drunk, panicked.
“For me, the nice thing is that we were able to help the child so that he or she is not left alone at Oktoberfest with someone who is no longer sane,” says Unger. Together they then found the mother of the family with the boy. “A colleague took the child on his shoulder and put a police hat on him on the way to his mother,” Unger describes the situation.
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And the drunken father? Unger suspects he probably got into more trouble with the family than with the police. The most important thing for him was that the boy did not have to wander through the busy Oktoberfest alone in the dark.
“Children and wheelchair users are simply swamped”
In general, it is common for people to get lost at Oktoberfest. This is simply due to the number of visitors. “This also happens to us in the group, which is why the six of us always run in a group,” Unger explains. When a police officer noticed something, all members of the group tapped each other once so they didn’t get lost.
“Once the tents on Wirtsbudenstrasse open and everything pours out from left and right, there is no chance,” says Unger, referring to the crowds after the bar closes. This is especially dangerous for children because, depending on their age, they sit only at hip height of adults. “People are so drunk that children and wheelchair users are simply run over,” says Unger. And adds: “That wouldn’t happen in real life, no one does that on purpose.”
The stakes still remain
Police officers certainly experience a lot at Oktoberfest. But which missions stick with someone like Unger, who has been working there for years? “Things like this when things go wrong,” says the 44-year-old.
The most dangerous for the police, for example, is when they have to take a rioter across the busy Theresienwiese to their Oktoberfest station to take him into custody. “Then outsiders often develop a reflex and say: the six of you are coming, grab yourself, what has he done?”
In such situations, the police officers at Oktoberfest sometimes become victims of violence themselves. “Although we are actually there to prevent violence. Because, for example, there is someone who pushes or hits other people with a beer mug and who simply needs to get away from the Oktoberfest for a day,” the police officer explains.
“We look forward to the end”
By the way, Unger, like all other police officers, is also a volunteer at the Oktoberfest. He says, “We are looking forward to the end because we are reaching our physical limits.” On the other hand, they are also sad about the ending.
“It’s a formative experience for us. At the end we tell each other how old men are, remember. “It really brings us together as a group,” says Unger. That’s why he wants to be there again next year – if possible.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
