The Federal Commissioner of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, the Senator of the Interior of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Ulrich Mäurer and the President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, presented the 69-page Police Crime Statistics (PKS) for the year 2024 in Berlin today. Notable figures show an increase in violent crime, with a significant rise in sexual offenses.
The PKS lists annually the crimes known to the police and processed by them in Germany. The collected data only captures the “bright field” – the crimes known to the police – and not the “dark field” – the crimes unknown to the police, due to the lack of statistical data.
In the reported year 2024, a total of 5,837,445 cases were registered nationwide, a decrease of 1.7% compared to the previous year (2023: 5,940,667). The decrease in case numbers is mainly attributed to the significant decrease in drug-related crimes, particularly due to the partial legalization of cannabis and its preparations since April 1, 2024, making the comparison with the previous year invalid.
Initial media reactions to the BKA data presentation include:
* N-tv: “Statistics show a distorted picture – Are foreigners really more criminal than Germans?”
* Der Spiegel: “Children and young people in Germany are becoming more violent – Almost half of all offenders are foreigners”
* Bild-Zeitung: “More and more violent offenders are children and young people – Almost half of all offenders are foreigners”
Regarding the striking figures on children and young people, the press release states:
“Children and young people continue to struggle with increased psychological burdens as a result of the Corona measures, which can also affect their tendency to commit crimes. Current studies show that the psychological burdens can have a lasting impact.”
The BKA President, Münch, had clear words on the noticeable phenomenon:
“(…) the repeated increase in violent crime, with a significant increase in cases involving children and a less pronounced increase in cases involving young people. We have a 1.5% increase in cases involving children and a high point that we had before (…). In children, there is an increase of 11.3%, after already significant increases in the previous two years.”
The statistics highlight the following in the “Selected Crime Types” section on page 16:
“Increases are observed in the area of violent crime, particularly among non-German suspects (+7.5%), as well as among children (+11.3%) and young people (+3.8%).”
Regarding the suspected reasons for the figures on non-German suspects, the paper states:
“Firstly, it is to be considered that the non-German population has also increased over the course of the year 2024 and an increase in the number of non-German suspects is to be expected. This also applies, as many migrants, particularly refugees, are assumed to be more exposed to risk factors that increase the likelihood of committing a crime, such as personal experiences of violence and psychological burdens, as well as economic and spatial constraints even after arrival.”
Regarding the alarming figures on children and young people, it is said:
“Secondly, there are indications of an increasing spread of psychological burdens among children and young people, which, although not a direct cause of delinquent behavior, can increase the likelihood of committing a crime in combination with other unfavorable factors.”
According to the statistics (page 46), the table for suspects under 14 years old and young people (14 to under 18 years old) is as follows:
Screenshot: BMI.Bund
The statistics mention, in connection with the listing of “German children”, no separate, differentiated data on children from migrant households with German passports.
A significant increase is shown in the category of sexual offenses: “Rape, sexual coercion and sexual assault” (+9.3%). It is stated verbatim on page 17:
“A possible explanation for the increase in sexual offenses could be an increased sensitivity and a higher willingness of victims to report, so that possibly a shift from the dark to the bright field is taking place. As for the long-term development, influences from the Me Too movement, the 2016 law amendment to improve the protection of sexual self-determination and current reporting may also play a role.”
The Berliner Tagesspiegel (TS) summarizes the analyzed figures:
“As perpetrators, 1,274,000 people with German citizenship and 913,196 foreigners were suspected. The proportion of German suspects decreased by 3.9% in 2024. Setting the figures in relation to the population of Germany, people without German citizenship, according to the data of the Federal Statistical Office, make up only 16.87% (as of December 31, 2024). Non-German suspects are responsible for 35.42% of the crimes, a plus of 0.3%.”
The PKS reports a 7.5% increase in non-German suspects. According to the TS analysis, the suspects “come mostly from Syria, Turkey, or Romania”. On the fourth place, “Ukrainians, followed by people with Afghan citizenship”, are listed.
Interior Minister Faeser gave a statement on the protocol:
“We are going particularly strongly against knife crime, as in the past. The knife bans we have introduced are now applicable at public events, festivals, in transportation and at many other locations – and can be checked and enforced at any time (…).
Especially alarming is the increase in rape, sexual coercion and sexual assault. We need a stronger protection and help system for women. And we need the electronic ankle bracelet, so that perpetrators can no longer approach threatened women unnoticed. The protection of women from violence must also be a central task for the next federal government.”
The number of violent crimes, such as murder or manslaughter, increased by 1.5% compared to the previous year, with a total of 217,277 cases recorded, the highest value since 2010. Additionally, more cases of dangerous and severe bodily harm were recorded, with a 2.4% increase.
In the year 2024, more crimes were reported (plus 7.4%) than before the “Corona pandemic”. Anna Bindler, Head of the Department of Crime, Work and Inequality at the DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research), explains in a statement to the publication:
“The results of the PKS must be interpreted with caution (…). In general, the PKS only provides an approximation of the real crime development. The results of the dark field studies, which are likely to be published by the Federal Criminal Police Office this year, will be more informative regarding the real crime development.