Stephan Richter on NPR: The Future of Security in Germany

David Brancaccio:

Will protection for public places be increased?

Stephan Richter:

Slowly, but surely. But it is hard to believe, you know, that the key interior senator for the state of Berlin said, “Oh we can’t do CCTV. It won’t prevent any of these attacks,” not understanding that it might make it much easier to find the people who perpetrated.

David Brancaccio:

Authorities are investigating an apparent connection between the attack and a Tunisian man, who apparently was not granted asylum in Germany. Could this mean a further crackdown of refugees in the country?

Stephan Richter:

It depends on what you mean by “crackdown.” If you mean by crackdown, to deport people who are known to be fraudulent cases and once you finger them, that you actually arrest them, keep them, lock them up and then send them out — that does not mean that you crack down on immigrants or the refugees, per se. That’s something very different.

And I think the politicians have to do the smart thing and can’t have creeps like those who likely perpetrated this, play the system and the system letting itself be played, which seems to be the possibility in this case.

Editor’s note: This interview was conducted by David Brancaccio, the host of the Marketplace Morning Report, with The Globalist’s Stephan Richter. It was broadcast on National Public Radio all across the United States on December 22, 2016. To view this feature on the Marketplace website and listen to the 2:32 minute audio of the interview, click here.