The police crime statistics for 2022 reveal that the number of crimes in Germany has increased. In 2022, around 5.6 million crimes were committed nationwide, an increase of 11.5 percent compared to the previous year. The number of cases is also 3.5 percent higher than in 2019, the last year without corona restrictions. Despite the home office trend, home burglaries increased by 21.5 percent to 65,908 cases. Juvenile delinquency is on the rise, with a significant increase in child suspects (93,095), up 35.5 percent. The most common offense among children and young people is theft, followed by bodily harm, property damage, and drug-related crime. The distribution of child pornographic video and image files among schoolchildren is a new trend. The Internet with all its dodgy pages and violent games is one of the reasons for the increasing violence among children and young people.
Status: 03/26/2023 11:17 a.m
The number of crimes in Germany is increasing once more. This emerges from the police crime statistics for 2022, which the “Welt am Sonntag” reports in advance. According to this, 5.62 million criminal offenses were registered nationwide.
The number of crimes recorded in Germany has risen once more following the corona pandemic has subsided. Citing the police crime statistics (PKS), which Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser plans to officially present in Berlin on Thursday, the “Welt am Sonntag” reports that around 5.6 million crimes were committed nationwide in 2022. This corresponds to an increase of 11.5 percent compared to the previous year.
More burglary despite home office
In previous years, the number of registered crimes in the Federal Republic had declined. According to the “Welt am Sonntag”, the current number of cases is also 3.5 percent higher than the comparative figure for 2019, the last year without corona restrictions. The clearance rate was given as 57.3 percent. According to the report, the number of suspects increased compared to 2021 – by 10.7 percent to around 2.1 million.
About a third of the total of 5.62 million criminal offenses are thefts. There was an increase of 20 percent to 1.78 million cases. Overall, however, the level is below 2019 (1.82 million).
There was also an increase in home burglary: This increased by 21.5 percent to 65,908 cases, although many people are still working from home and therefore there are fewer opportunities to commit crimes. The number of cases of pickpocketing and shoplifting has also increased, it is said.
Rising crime among young people
According to the “Welt am Sonntag” newspaper, there is a noticeable development in the area of juvenile delinquency. According to the report, there is a significant increase in child suspects (93,095), up 35.5 percent. That is significantly more than in 2019 (72,890).
A new “trend” is the distribution of child pornographic video and image files in chat groups among schoolchildren. In addition, the PKS identifies 189,149 suspected young people between the ages of 14 and 18 – in 2019 there were 177,082. The most common offense among children and young people is theft, followed by bodily harm, property damage and drug-related crime.
According to the newspaper report, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of the Interior, Herbert Reul, called for the next conference of interior ministers to deal more with the increasing violence among children and young people. A lack of social skills is one of the reasons for this: “But the Internet, with all its dodgy pages, sometimes videos glorifying violence or games that are circulating there, will also play its part,” says Reul.
In conclusion, the recently released police crime statistics for 2022 paint a concerning picture of rising crime in Germany, with a total of 5.62 million criminal offenses registered nationwide. This marks an 11.5% increase compared to the previous year and a 3.5% increase compared to 2019, the last year without corona restrictions. Of particular concern is the increase in home burglaries, despite home office measures reducing opportunities for criminals. Additionally, there has been a significant increase in child suspects and juvenile delinquency, with the distribution of child pornographic material among schoolchildren being identified as a new trend. As Germany continues to grapple with the challenges posed by the pandemic, it is clear that addressing rising crime rates and their underlying causes must remain a priority.
