Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser presented the police crime statistics for 2023. What is striking are the increased numbers of violent, juvenile and foreign crime, says Faeser. This must be addressed without resentment.
More thefts, more violent crimes: The number of crimes in Germany rose significantly last year and was at its highest level since 2016. In total, the authorities registered 5.941 million cases of crime, according to the 2023 police crime statistics published on Tuesday by the Federal Criminal Police Office ( BKA). Accordingly, an increase of 5.5 percent compared to the previous year and 9.3 percent compared to the last pre-Corona year of 2019 was determined.
The last time the total number of crimes was higher was in 2016. Strong increases were recorded in so-called violent crime and theft offenses in 2023. 1.97 million cases were attributed to theft crime alone – an increase of 10.7 percent compared to 2022. There were around 214,000 cases of violent crime, i.e. physical injuries, robberies and various sexual crimes. That was 8.6 percent more than in 2022.
Police crime statistics: more foreign suspects
The number and proportion of foreign suspects rose particularly sharply. While the number of German suspects rose by only one percent to around 1.32 million within a year, the number of non-German suspects grew by 17.8 percent to around 923,000. The proportion of non-German suspects among all suspects increased by 3.7 percentage points to 41.1 percent.
When it comes to theft crimes, the number of non-German suspects rose by 22.8 percent, while the number of German suspects only rose by 7.4 percent. Nevertheless, there were still more German than non-German suspects in the area, at around 237,000. There were almost 187,000 here, including around 52,000 immigrants. However, the clearance rate for theft was almost 32 percent, higher than in 2022, but, as usual, quite low.
The number and proportion of young suspects have also increased significantly. In 2023, a good 104,000 suspicious children under the age of 14 were identified – an increase of 43 percent compared to 2019. For young people aged 14 to adulthood, the number of around 177,000 suspects is 17 percent higher than in 2019.
In both groups, the increase was again primarily among non-German suspects. The increase rates here compared to 2022 were over 30 percent, while for German suspects they were less than three percent.
The investigators attribute the high increase in overall crime, among other things, to the abolition of the Corona restrictions. After the three reporting years 2020, 2021 and 2022, 2023 is the first with largely normal public life again. “This creates more opportunities and reasons for crime,” the report says.
Young people particularly affected by Corona effects
It goes on to say that there could be “catch-up effects of typical developmental delinquency,” particularly among young people. Children and young people were particularly affected by Corona restrictions due to the lack of social contact and stress within the family. This often led to psychological stress, “which can also affect their susceptibility to committing crimes.”
The investigators also see the social and economic burdens increased by inflation as a driver of crime. “The number of cases and suspects is higher in economically weaker regions,” the report says.
Criminal experts see the reason for the sharp increase in the number of foreign suspects in the continued high overall immigration rates. As a result, the overall population and the proportion of non-Germans are increasing. The risk factors also included living conditions in initial reception centers, economic insecurity and experiences of violence.
The number of cases of fraud and cybercrime fell in 2023 after these fields grew during the Corona period. In 2023, the authorities registered a good 754,000 cases of fraud (minus 5.9 percent) and a good 134,000 cases of cybercrime (minus 1.8 percent). The clearance rate for all crimes rose by 1.1 percentage points to 58.4 percent.
Police crime statistics are collected annually nationwide based on data transmitted by the 16 state criminal investigation offices. It merely reflects the recorded acts. The size of the dark field is not known.
Source: Stern
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