Raids in Berlin as German police probe child pornography

BERLIN (AA) – Police carried out raids in Germany’s capital Berlin on Tuesday targeting properties and suspects linked to possession and distribution of child and youth pornography.

At least 40 officers raided 20 properties in Berlin, according to police.

The operation was coordinated by the Berlin State Criminal Police Office (LKA).

There were 1,032 child pornography investigations in Berlin in 2021.

Numbers are also rising nationwide, with significantly more cases of child abuse, and especially child pornography, recorded last year, according to police data.

According to the figures, there were 39,000 child pornography cases registered in 2021, a surge of 108.8% from the previous year.

Child abuse cases also increased 6.3% to 15,500 cases in 2021.

When the figures were unveiled last May, German officials vowed to ramp up law enforcement measures to tackle what Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had described as a “shocking” situation.​​​​​​​