The drug scene at Hamburg Central Station is becoming more and more of a problem. Measures taken by the police and politicians are not improving the situation, but are only creating new problems. Residents and restaurateurs are particularly affected.

“Problem case” Hamburg Central Station: Politicians want to get the drug scene visible there under control with more and more measures. Alcohol has recently been banned there, and police controls have been massively increased. As experts previously feared, however, this only creates new problems – which primarily affect residents and restaurateurs.

Living near the main train station has never been idyllic. But: “It has never been as bad as it is now,” says a restaurateur at Hansaplatz in St. Georg. “For the past few months, more and more drug addicts have been hanging around here.” He grew up in St. Georg and still lives here – but wants to move soon because of his two small children.

“This is not an environment for them,” he says. “There are always fights, people steal and deal drugs. Recently, someone peed in front of my shop and didn’t want to leave.” He shows a video that he took of the incident.

“Many of them become aggressive when you try to send them away,” reports another restaurateur. “We feel the consequences in our income. Who wants to come here as a tourist?” He calls the police several times a week.

From their point of view, the situation is the result of a policy of displacement that has been in place for months. Most recently, the Hochbahn announced that it would take more consistent action against begging on trains. The reason: more and more passengers had complained that they felt unsafe. Since the beginning of April 2024, drinking alcohol has been drastically restricted around the main station. Before that, in September 2023, the joint “Quattro patrols” made up of representatives of the Hamburg police, the federal police and the security services of Deutsche Bahn and Hochbahn were expanded again.

Also in September 2023, the Hamburg donation fence at Heidi-Kabel-Platz was banned by the Hamburg-Mitte district office. Donations for those in need were hung here. After long discussions, the association was at least able to move to Ferdinandstrasse, very close to the main train station, with a “donation fence café”.

However, the addicts have also moved. “It’s spread across the whole district,” says Michael Joho from the St. Georg residents’ association. Several residents have already contacted him and reported an increase in drug addicts in the hallways. “Displacement doesn’t solve the problem,” he criticizes. The association is campaigning for more advice and support services, among other things. “In our view, the bend at Ferdinandstor, where there is a passage to Ernst-Merck-Straße, would be a good location.”

Street social worker Florian Pittner also criticizes the displacement. “People don’t just disappear into thin air.” He works in the “Palette” advice and meeting center on Stresemannstrasse in Altona. “In the last few months, many people have come to us from the main train station because they no longer felt safe there,” says the 49-year-old. The more the scene disperses, the more difficult it is for social workers to access them. Getting the problem under control is a long-term project: housing is needed, as well as easy access to health services and authorities.

Markus Schreiber, SPD member of the city council and himself a resident of St. Georg, agrees in principle. At the same time, however, he is also calling for more police presence and would like to see a police container at Hansaplatz. “The biggest problem in my view is crack users. They no longer notice anything around them, they are just looking for the next pipe. And – unlike heroin – there is no substitute drug to start a conversation with them,” he says.

The police are also noticing displacement effects. According to spokesman Thilo Marxsen, they have reacted promptly with regular checks. One major operation, for example, was on Wednesday afternoon with a raid on the “Windstärke 11” pub on Hansaplatz, a well-known meeting place for the drinking and drug scene. “These so-called drinking establishments are a pull factor for the corresponding clientele,” says Andre Krüger, head of the police station on Steindamm. During the raid, the officers found cocaine, among other things. The pub also had to close completely for the time being due to inadequate fire protection and a defective emergency exit.

The discussion about the main station before the 2025 state elections brings back bad memories for the SPD. In 2001, the issue hit them hard: in the elections, the Schill party immediately achieved 19 percent, and the SPD had to give up the government. It is therefore no wonder that Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD) and district head Ralf Neubauer (SPD) are trying with all their might to establish a strong security policy at the main station.

Joho from the St. Georg residents’ association appeals to the Senate to stop viewing the main station as a mere traffic area. “Like almost all train stations in the world, it is also a place where hundreds of people spend their time and sometimes even live.” The situation in St. Georg can only change if there is a new approach to drugs and poverty. The private initiative “Marktlust” is working to ensure that Hansaplatz becomes a more positive place for residents again.

Von Annalena Barnickel

Heavy rain, high water, flooding – the storm has southern Germany firmly in its grip. The water levels have reached the heights of a once-in-a-century flood. Dams are breaking. Places are being evacuated. Read everything you need to know in the weather ticker.

In Dortmund, a 15-year-old girl was brutally beaten by a gang of girls. Now the mother is making serious accusations against the school for not protecting her daughter sufficiently. “This is not an isolated case; bullying and violence are bitter everyday occurrences for several thousand students,” warns violence prevention expert Carsten Stahl.

The original of this article “Restaurant owners rage over drug scene at Hamburger Bahnhof: “Worse than ever”” comes from Mopo.