Statistics on crime are regular. But they only show a part of reality, namely those crimes that the police learn about. A comprehensive new survey sheds light on the rest.
Germany is a safe country – but not everyone feels that way everywhere. In public transport in particular, many people feel uncomfortable at night, especially women.
This emerges from the report “Security and Crime in Germany”, which the President of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Münch, and Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) presented in Berlin. According to the BKA, the survey with more than 45,000 participants is the largest ever in Germany on experiences with crime.
fear places
“The results show that restrictions on freedom of movement are an integral part of the everyday life of many women,” stated Münch. More than half said they “often” or “very often” avoided certain streets, parks or squares, avoided strangers if possible or avoided public transport at night. Men do this much less often. Faeser explained: “We cannot accept the fact that many women do not move freely at night, that they restrict themselves because they feel threatened.” A stronger presence of personnel is needed, for example in means of transport, but also a higher police presence and video surveillance in certain places.
The vast majority of respondents feel safe at home, whether man or woman. Even when they are alone there at night, more than 90 percent of those surveyed feel “very safe” or “fairly safe”. Many (72 percent) also feel that their own residential area is safe at night, even if they are not accompanied. But the situation is completely different on buses and trains: Less than every second person (46.3 percent) feels “very safe” or “rather safe” on local public transport at night without an escort.
Discomfort in women especially pronounced
Only a third feel safe in unaccompanied public transport at night, compared to 59.9 percent of men. In general, women also feel more unsafe than men in their own homes and neighborhoods, both during the day and at night, even if the difference between the sexes is smaller here than in local public transport.
Men more common victims
Men are more likely to be victims of crime than women. More than twice as many men (2.8 percent) suffered physical injury as women (1.3 percent). They are also more likely to be threatened with violence. However, women suffer significantly more often from sexual and partnership violence: 6 percent of the female respondents experienced it in the past year, but only 1.1 percent of the males. These include the display of private parts and physical sexual harassment.
risk of cybercrime
The crime that most people in Germany fall victim to is cybercrime. “Cybercrime is one of the biggest challenges for the security authorities,” said Münch. 13.5 percent of the participants in the survey had experienced this in the twelve months prior to the survey, followed by fraud and theft with 12 percent each. 9.3 percent experienced property damage. Burglaries are comparatively rare: 4.3 percent were affected. For security reasons, more than one in four does not conduct financial transactions over the Internet.
experiences of violence
Robberies or perpetrators who attack their victims with drawn guns are rare. Most people who experience violence in Germany experience verbal violence on the Internet – 4.6 percent of those surveyed took part in this at least once in the year before the survey. However, most victims are hit repeatedly, on average twelve times.
fear of crime
People in Germany worry most about fraud on the Internet – at least 40 percent fear it. More than one in four people is afraid of burglary. The fear of becoming a victim of crime because of prejudice plagues only a few people in Germany without a migration background, namely 9.7 percent. However, the situation is very different for respondents with family roots abroad: 18.3 percent of respondents with a Polish and even 49.1 percent of respondents with a Turkish migration background fear this.
satisfaction with the police
Most respondents were very satisfied with the work of the police. More than 90 percent think officers generally treat people with respect. More than 80 percent think the police only use violence when it is justified in a situation. Police work is also viewed by many as successful, albeit with better scores in fighting crime than in preventing it. However, almost 80 percent of those surveyed consider the police to be overburdened, and only a comparatively small number of respondents (60.8 percent) believe that the officers can be seen in public spaces sufficiently often.
Respondents with a migration background are also much more skeptical about the police. People of Turkish origin in particular often find police officers to be inconsiderate and believe that the officers lack empathy. Faeser said there was a need for more diversity within the police force and a stronger focus on training, for example against racist prejudices. However, the authors caution that these results may also be influenced by other factors, such as differences in age and gender composition across population groups.
ad or not
Certain crimes are reported far more often than others. After a car theft or a completed burglary, about 90 percent of those affected go to the police. Victims of cybercrime or sexual offenses, on the other hand, do this very rarely – here only 18 and 1 percent respectively file a complaint.
corona pandemic
The survey took place during the corona pandemic in Germany. The authors of the report therefore assume that the pandemic has had an impact on the impressions of the participants – since comparative data for the period before that is missing, they could not say exactly how. According to Münch, the next survey should start in 2024, after which there should be a new edition every two years.
Source: Stern
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