diff --git a/nominatim/api/search/icu_tokenizer.py b/nominatim/api/search/icu_tokenizer.py
index eabd329d5..72e0f547b 100644
--- a/nominatim/api/search/icu_tokenizer.py
+++ b/nominatim/api/search/icu_tokenizer.py
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 Implementation of query analysis for the ICU tokenizer.
 """
 from typing import Tuple, Dict, List, Optional, NamedTuple, Iterator, Any, cast
-from copy import copy
 from collections import defaultdict
 import dataclasses
 import difflib
@@ -188,10 +187,6 @@ async def analyze_query(self, phrases: List[qmod.Phrase]) -> qmod.QueryStruct:
                             query.add_token(trange, qmod.TokenType.NEAR_ITEM, token)
                     else:
                         query.add_token(trange, qmod.TokenType.QUALIFIER, token)
-                        if trange.start == 0 or trange.end == query.num_token_slots():
-                            token = copy(token)
-                            token.penalty += 0.1 * (query.num_token_slots())
-                            query.add_token(trange, qmod.TokenType.NEAR_ITEM, token)
                 else:
                     query.add_token(trange, DB_TO_TOKEN_TYPE[row.type], token)
 
diff --git a/test/python/api/search/test_icu_query_analyzer.py b/test/python/api/search/test_icu_query_analyzer.py
index a88ca8b82..6a17e32ab 100644
--- a/test/python/api/search/test_icu_query_analyzer.py
+++ b/test/python/api/search/test_icu_query_analyzer.py
@@ -148,9 +148,9 @@ async def test_qualifier_words(conn):
     query = await ana.analyze_query(make_phrase('foo BAR foo BAR foo'))
 
     assert query.num_token_slots() == 5
-    assert set(t.ttype for t in query.nodes[0].starting) == {TokenType.NEAR_ITEM, TokenType.QUALIFIER}
+    assert set(t.ttype for t in query.nodes[0].starting) == {TokenType.QUALIFIER}
     assert set(t.ttype for t in query.nodes[2].starting) == {TokenType.QUALIFIER}
-    assert set(t.ttype for t in query.nodes[4].starting) == {TokenType.NEAR_ITEM, TokenType.QUALIFIER}
+    assert set(t.ttype for t in query.nodes[4].starting) == {TokenType.QUALIFIER}
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio