The crime statistics show extremely unpleasant trends. But experts make it clear that they have to be interpreted correctly.
Berlin – You could count. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) made it clear five times in the approximately 90 minutes of the press event: “There is no simple solution to the complex issue. I warn against stirring up resentment." By the "complex topic" she meant the worrying result of the 2023 crime statistics, which she officially presented on Tuesday together with Federal Criminal Police Office Chief Holger Münch: Overall, the number of crimes in Germany has increased by 5.5 percent increased by six million. Three particularly striking points:
The number of violent crimes has reached 215,000 cases, the highest level in 15 years.
Child and juvenile crime is growing.
There is a significant increase in foreign crime by 14.5 percent.
Nancy Faeser presents crime statistics for 2023: CDU calls for less migration
Because of the last point, there had already been calls for a migration cap from CDU politicians, among others. It is now important to “reduce the number of people who come to us,” said CDU interior expert Serap Güler to
IPPEN.MEDIA
. You have to “name things clearly”.
Faeser also emphasized that they wanted to talk “without shyness and openly” about the increased foreign crime. “Zero tolerance applies here too. This means that from now on foreign criminals will have to leave Germany much more quickly than before.” Anyone who doesn’t follow the rules will have to leave. The question quickly came from the press: Has Germany become less safe as a result of migration? And Nancy Faeser made it clear again: the calculation isn't that simple.
Has immigration made Germany less safe? “There is no such equation”
BKA boss Holger Münch put it this way: “There is no such equation. More immigration does not automatically mean more crime.” Rather, it is a question of integration. “When migration dynamics are high, as we have had in recent years, the success of integration decreases. If the authorities are only busy organizing accommodation for refugees, important integration measures will no longer apply.”
You have to research structural causes. Münch listed them: “The economic strain is high. For the first time, inflation was perceived as a major problem among the population. This correlates strongly with the number of violent crimes.” In addition, a low level of education, economic insecurity and experiences of violence increase the potential for crime - risk factors that more often affect immigrants. It is also clear: “Crimes committed by foreigners are not necessarily directed against German society. Many of the victims also have a migration background.”
Child and juvenile crime is growing: “serious psychological stress caused by the corona pandemic”
The SPD's domestic policy spokesman, Sebastian Hartmann, had made it clear in advance: An important point when reading the statistics is proportionality: "If the number of suspects for non-German people is put in relation to the increase in the population group with non-German citizenship, the increase for non-Germans falls Suspects are even lower than German suspects,” explained Hartmann in an interview with
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. This corresponds to the assessment of the BKA.
As far as the increase in child and youth crime is concerned, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also cited “severe psychological stress caused by the consequences of the corona pandemic” as the reason. This factor needs to be urgently monitored and addressed.
Cocaine and crack: Avoid the drug war and the “spiral of violence like in the Netherlands”.
Aside from violent crimes, drug crimes are an extremely rapidly growing problem area: “We are recording a significant increase of 30 percent in crimes related to cocaine and crack,” says Faeser. She has already held discussions about cooperation with countries such as Brazil and Colombia in order to fight together against drug cartels. “It is important to avoid a spiral of violence like in Belgium or the Netherlands in this country,” says Faeser. In recent years, a real drug war has broken out in the Netherlands and Belgium, which has already claimed several lives.