“The police can barely keep up with the checks – even children are sometimes armed”.
There is growing outrage after a discount retailer in Berlin, Norma, launched a sale on machetes, marketing the blades as low as €9.90 per machete despite a surge in knife crimes reported throughout the city and the country.
The first deputy federal chairman of the German police union (PolG), Manuel Ostermann, wrote on X: “79 knife crimes per day in 2024 and at the discount store you can buy a machete with a barb for 9.90 euros. Hello Norma, are you still feeling any impact? Why not just give it away to potential knife murderers? Unbelievable.”
Ostermann also posted a photo of the advert being promoted by Norma, which showcases the deadly-looking blades and their discount price.