NRW
“The inspector is going around” – raid on the bouncer scene
Customs officers stand in front of a club during a raid. photo
© Fabian Strauch/dpa
In the middle of party life, the police showed up in many North Rhine-Westphalia cities: the raid was aimed at the bouncer scene. A DJ played the appropriate record for the police check.
When the officials and the minister entered a party location in Düsseldorf, the DJ played the appropriate music by Falco: “Don’t kill me, the inspector is dying.” Two bouncers at an object quickly ran away when they saw the emergency services. During the operation, officers found weapons and drugs across the country and several arrests were made.
Above all, however, the investigators wanted to gain new insights into the dark field of bouncers. Recently, it became clear, especially during investigations in the Ruhr area, that there are repeated connections between well-known clan families and companies in the security and surveillance industry. “We suspect that a new structure is developing in this bouncer scene,” said Reul. “They used to be bandidos and rockers. Now we have indications that the clans are spreading more widely there.” It is probably about undeclared work and illegal employment – but other lucrative business models are also conceivable in this environment, said the minister. So far, however, investigators have lacked precise information about exactly where clan-related security companies are active.
Especially before the European Football Championship
Especially before the European Football Championship in Germany, which begins in mid-June, it could be attractive for clans to infiltrate the security industry. “Then the entire organizational power of such security services plays an even stronger role,” said Reul.
There is often a network of subcontractors, letterbox companies and changing shareholders in the bouncer scene. The investigators suspect that such constructions open up opportunities for criminal clans to earn money “on a larger scale,” said the ministry spokesman. “Criminal clans are always looking for new areas of activity,” said Dortmund police chief Gregor Lange. “With our commitment we have taken a first step. We will continue to keep an eye on the bouncer industry.”
The information emerged from the work of the Ruhr Security Conference (Siko). State police, Ruhr area municipalities, customs authorities and federal police have been working together there for four years to combat clan crime in the Ruhr area.
The authorities describe crimes that develop from ethnically isolated subcultures as clan crime. The perpetrators in North Rhine-Westphalia mostly come from large families of Turkish-Arab origin, but according to the police, Syrian clans have recently been playing an increasingly important role. According to the State Criminal Police Office, every fifth case involving organized crime involves connections to family clans. Essen is considered a stronghold.
However, the term clan crime is controversial because, according to critics, it stigmatizes and discriminates against people with a migrant background based solely on their family affiliation and origin.