Increased cleanups are scheduled for the area around the K in Lautern shopping mall as part of Kaiserslautern’s new initiative to create a safer and more welcoming environment. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

City leaders and businesses in Kaiserslautern joined forces to tackle litter and enhance security around the K in Lautern shopping center, according to a statement from the city.

Representatives of public works, city management, police and the municipal enforcement service, alongside leading businesses like Burger King, Rewe, and BackWerk, have agreed on a plan that includes round-the-clock cleanup and a renewed alcohol ban, officials said.

The new measures, initiated in mid-March, include intensified cleaning inside and adjacent to the mall, now also on Sunday mornings and holidays. The costs will be shared by the mall and neighboring businesses, officials said.

“Retailers, restaurants, mall operators and cityscape maintenance all agreed that cleanliness at the mall needs to be improved,” Kaiserslautern Mayor Manfred Schulz said. “Cleanliness is a prerequisite for a positive sense of security in the city.”

Officials also agreed to extend the alcohol ban in the downtown area, promising strict enforcement.

The agreement is for three years. City officials did not immediately say whether the initiative will include increased police patrols of the area.

Even with the new measures in place, a security guard at the shopping center was injured Monday in an attack by a group of teenagers, Westpfalz police reported. The four assailants fled, and police are investigating.