Crime in Germany spiked last year

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - The number of crimes in Germany rose significantly in 2023, reaching its highest level since 2016, according to new statistics released on Tuesday.

Germany in 2023 saw a total of 5.941 million cases of crime, a rise of 5.5% from the previous year, as shown in a video-streamed press conference in Berlin with Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Holger Munch, head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

A sharp increase was seen in violent crime and theft in particular.

There were 1.97 million cases of theft, up 10.7% compared to 2022.

Some 214,000 cases of violent crime – including assaults, robberies, and various sexual offenses – were recorded, or 8.6% more than in 2022.

Faeser pointed out that violent crimes, crimes against young people, and crimes committed by foreigners had all gone up.

"It is important to me that the constitutional state takes strict action against violence,” she said. “Zero tolerance applies here. In concrete terms, this means swift proceedings and concrete punishments. Foreign criminals must leave Germany much more quickly. The strict deportation rules that we have established must now be implemented."

The number of police officers assaulted on duty last year also rose to 106,000, a jump of 10% compared to 2022.

"This figure is shocking and we condemn it. There is no justification for it," said Faeser.

Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stubgen described the increase in the number of foreign suspects as worrying, but warned that this should not lead to general suspicion.

He said: "Millions of foreigners live here and do not commit any crimes. However, if immigration leads to a decrease in security, politicians must react to this. Criminals who are required to leave the country should be deported more consistently and the limits of the country's capacity to absorb them should be recognized."

He added: "Integration is the best way to combat immigrant crime, and this can only succeed if the number of new arrivals does not overwhelm us."

Stubgen also said society’s worsening brutality is also evident in the online environment: "Cyberbullying is a growing phenomenon. Victims are helplessly at the mercy of many attackers in the anonymity and accessibility of the internet. This situation leads to serious consequences in all areas of life."

In Germany, police crime statistics are collected annually nationwide on the basis of data provided by the state criminal investigation offices of the country’s 16 federal states.