Düsseldorf/Cologne/Dortmund/Münster (dpa/lnw) - Strolling, drinking mulled wine or getting the first Christmas presents: numerous people flocked to the inner cities of North Rhine-Westphalia before the first Advent. The centers in Düsseldorf and Cologne as well as in Dortmund were very well attended on Saturday afternoon, as the police control centers confirmed. "The city is full. We definitely notice a higher frequency of traffic," said a spokesman in Cologne. There are more people on the road than usual. There has not been an increased number of police operations so far.
In Düsseldorf, too, the city center was "of course full" on the first weekend in Advent, said a police spokesman. There are a lot of people at the Christmas markets. As every year, more ads are expected, so far there have been no problems. According to a police spokesman, there was also “quite a lot going on” in Dortmund in the afternoon in the pedestrian zone and at the Christmas market. Long queues formed in front of the parking garages.
A failed robbery caused a stir in the busy city center of Munster this morning. According to the police, a 30-year-old threatened with a gun in a jewelry store on Prinzipalmarkt, a popular shopping area where, according to the police spokeswoman, there was a lot going on, also in view of the Christmas market. The man fled without taking anything and was arrested shortly thereafter. The pistol turned out to be an airsoft weapon that looks deceptively similar to a sharp weapon.
