Bombs and rockets pose a threat to New Year's rescuers

Bombs and fireworks pose a threat to New Year's rescuers

For the first time, the focus is on the fact that police, emergency services, and ambulances will be shot at with New Year's fireworks.

This is how it looked on New Year's Eve in 2019. Fireworks were seen exploding close to a police car and civilians. Credit: Michael Johannessen, Presse-fotos.dk and Bird 22 minutes ago

The New Year's sky shines in beautiful colors, the sky lights up, and it is especially associated with New Year's.

Of course, I am describing fireworks.

But these festive bursts also pose a risk to the people who are responsible for us when one year becomes the next.

- It is unsettling, and it is dangerously foolish. We should be able to perform our work in peace and without being exposed to the danger that it is when fireworks are fired at us, says police assistant in the National Police Christian Berthelsen.

For several years, emergency services and police have experienced fireworks exploding on or near them when they have tried to perform their work on New Year's Eve and night.

Even though we have not yet written December 31, 2026, a police officer was shot with fireworks in Randers as late as over the weekend (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/poliet-opfordrer-borgere-til-anmelde-ulovlig-affyring-af-fyrvaerkeri), where three young men were subsequently arrested.

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Dialog should ensure peaceful New Year's watch

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To prevent dangerous fireworks explosions, the East Jutland Police, East Jutland Fire Department, and the prehospital service in the Midt Region are in these days stepping up the dialogue between authorities and citizens.

This is happening in the two vulnerable housing areas Gellerupparken in Aarhus West and Søndervang in Viby, and according to Vice Police Inspector at East Jutland Police, it makes a difference that authorities are gathering, as one can see in Gellerup.

- Shooting at an ambulance or a fire truck, it may feel less illegal or less dangerous, but it is not. And that is what we want to show. And I am sure that it has an effect, says Mads Flansmose, who is Vice Police Inspector at East Jutland Police.

And if you ask two of the citizens present in Gellerup, Mohamad Abdul Majid and Yousef Bakar, the initiative is well received, as the two have also experienced that the fireworks have exploded where they should not have exploded.

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Not the first time that there is shouting

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If we take a tour of the archives, it is clear that foolish types have fired fireworks at service and rescue personnel before.

Back in 2018, the Danish Emergency Services politicians were called out. This happened after there had been about 20 episodes where firefighters and rescuers experienced that the fireworks came too close.

Here you can see an excerpt from the news report that my colleagues at TV Avisen made at the time:

In 2020, the penalty for illegal use of fireworks was increased from six to eight months. Here you can hear current Justice Minister Nick Hækkerup speak about it, as well as the experiences of two firefighters.

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Not yet the goal yet

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After tightening of laws and several appeals, the message from police assistant in the National Police Christian Berthelsen is that it is going the right way.

- It has been much worse earlier, but I hope it is not a trend we see developing. We will at least crack down hard on it, says Christian Berthelsen.

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