Author(s):
Eik Niederlohmann

Institution:
Kliniken Erlabrunn, Klinik für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie

Title:
Understanding and preventing New Year‘s Eve violence: A psychologically informed framework and a four-field matrix for officer safety and operational planning

Abstract:
New Year‘s Eve is a recurrent high-risk period in many cities: dense crowds, alcohol use and consumer fireworks coincide with a perceived “state of exception”, amplifying accidents and attacks on responders. This concept paper integrates ritual/liminality, crowd psychology, situational crime prevention, and stress-related accounts of disinhibition. It proposes a practice-oriented four-field matrix (vulnerability/regression × situational disinhibition/perceived impunity) linking observable indicators to risk levels and operational options for officer safety, interagency planning, and prevention. Finally, it outlines testable hypotheses and an evaluation agenda.

S. 52-61