# Close Protection in Bremen, Germany Canonical page: https://closeprotectionhire.com/cities/bremen/ Close protection in Bremen, Germany. German-licensed teams for Airbus and maritime logistics executives, port site access and BRE airport transfers. ## Threats - **Petty Crime near the Hauptbahnhof**: FCDO Germany travel advice (2026) notes pickpocketing and bag theft concentrated at transport hubs nationally. Bremen's Bahnhofsvorstadt, the district immediately surrounding Bremen Hauptbahnhof, has a longstanding street-level drug scene and is the city's most consistent location for opportunistic theft, particularly after dark. - **Elevated Crime in Gröpelingen**: Gröpelingen, a western district close to the port, records a higher concentration of property crime, including burglary and street theft, than the Bremen average. Local police maintain an increased patrol presence in the district. Corporate visitors have no routine business reason to enter Gröpelingen, but drivers and protection teams should be aware of it when planning port-adjacent routes. - **Port and Aerospace Site Security**: The Bremen and Bremerhaven ports together form one of Europe's largest seaport complexes, and Airbus operates its second-largest German production site in Bremen, covering roughly 450,000 square metres with a workforce of over 4,000. Corporate visitors to port terminals or the Airbus site require advance access confirmation and must not enter operational or restricted zones unescorted. - **Terrorism Awareness**: Germany maintains a sustained terrorism threat assessment (BKA). FCDO Germany travel advice (2026) notes that transport hubs and crowded seasonal events, including Christmas markets, remain part of the national target set. Bremen's Marktplatz Christmas market draws large crowds through December. ## Regulations - **Licensing**: Anyone who guards the life or property of others commercially needs a permit under section 34a of the Gewerbeordnung from the competent local authority. The person running the business must pass the Sachkundeprüfung before the Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK). Every guard needs at least the IHK Unterrichtung certificate, and the Sachkundeprüfung is also required for listed activities such as patrols in public areas, door work at nightclubs and leading roles at large access-controlled events. Since 1 June 2019 businesses and their guards are entered in the national Bewacherregister, run by the Federal Statistical Office since 10 October 2022. - **Firearms**: Under section 28 of the Waffengesetz, a security business may acquire and hold firearms only where it takes on assignments that require them to protect an endangered person or object. Each guard who is to carry the firm's weapons must first be reported to the authority, which must approve that guard, and the weapon may be carried only while the specific assignment is being carried out. Most private close protection in Germany is unarmed. - **Foreign operators**: The section 34a permit applies to anyone carrying on the business in Germany, wherever the firm is based. A provider established in another EU or EEA state that wants to serve clients in Germany temporarily must notify the authority under section 13a of the Gewerbeordnung, and the authority may check the provider's qualifications before the first service (Bewachungsverordnung, section 13). Ask any provider for its section 34a permit and each officer's IHK certificate. Sources, checked 2026-10-07: - [Gewerbeordnung, section 34a (text, dejure.org)](https://dejure.org/gesetze/GewO/34a.html) - [Waffengesetz, section 28 (text, dejure.org)](https://dejure.org/gesetze/WaffG/28.html) - [Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, Bewacherregister](https://www.bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de/Redaktion/DE/Artikel/Mittelstand/gewerberecht-bewacherregister.html) - [Bewachungsverordnung 2019, section 13 (text, lxgesetze.de)](https://lxgesetze.de/bewachv/13) ## Zones Lower-risk areas: - Schwachhausen: Affluent residential district east of the centre with good infrastructure, a steady police presence, and low ambient crime, suitable for executive accommodation. - Horn-Lehe: Quiet leafy residential district near the university, low crime, good transport connections. Elevated-risk areas: - Gröpelingen: Documented elevated concentration of property crime in this western, port-adjacent district; no routine reason for corporate visitors to enter. - Bahnhofsvorstadt (station district): Longstanding street-level drug activity and opportunistic theft around Bremen Hauptbahnhof, particularly in the evening. ## Emergency contacts - Police emergency: 110 - Fire and ambulance: 112 - Klinikum Bremen-Mitte: +49 421 497 0 - British Embassy Berlin (Bremen has only an honorary consulate with no passport or visa service): +49 30 20457 0 - US Embassy Berlin (the Bremen consular agency closed in 2018; Bremen falls within the Berlin consular district): +49 30 8305 0 ## Warnings - FCDO Germany travel advice (2026) advises avoiding all demonstrations, which occur regularly across German cities. - Bremen's Bahnhofsvorstadt and Gröpelingen districts carry documented higher concentrations of street crime; avoid both for accommodation selection and route through Bahnhofsvorstadt with awareness after dark. - The US Consular Agency in Bremen closed permanently at the end of 2018; American citizens in Bremen are served by the US Embassy in Berlin. - Nearest major hospital: Klinikum Bremen-Mitte, St.-Jürgen-Strasse 1, Bremen; the city's principal acute care and trauma facility. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do business visitors to Bremen need close protection? ### What licensing framework governs close protection in Bremen? ### What is the main security concern for visitors to Bremen? ### What security support is available for Airbus and port site visits in Bremen?