(DAILYCALLER) — Austrian police will distribute pocket alarms to Viennese women at New Year’s Eve celebrations as a precautionary measure following widespread reports of harassment at similar events in 2015.
The alarms will emit a shrill sound when activated, which will draw police through a crowd at Vienna’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration. The cautionary maneuver comes after leaked German police documents revealed rampant sexual assault by refugees on New Year’s Eve in cities across Germany last year.
German police estimates reveal nearly 1,200 women were assaulted throughout Germany on Dec. 31, 2015, with nearly 2,000 men involved. The majority of the perpetrators were foreigners who had arrived in Germany in the last year, indicating they were likely refugees from war zones like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Only 120 suspects were apprehended, with four receiving jail time as of July 2016.