The number of thefts and violent crimes in Germany rose to a level not seen since 2016, it was revealed at the presentation of the 2023 crime statistics of the German Federal Criminal Office (BKA) in Berlin on Tuesday.

It can also be read from the statistics that while the number of German criminals increased by one percent compared to 2022, the number of crimes among non-German criminals, i.e. those with an immigrant background, increased by 17.8 percent in a single year.

In order to curb migrant crime, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser promised to speed up deportation procedures.

The number of crimes in Germany rose significantly to the highest level since 2026, according to the presentation of the 2023 crime statistics of the German Federal Criminal Office (BKA) on Tuesday. The police registered a total of 5.941 million crimes, an increase of 5.5 percent compared to the previous year. Compared to 2019, the last year before the pandemic, the number of criminal cases increased by 9.3 percent.

Extremely high migrant crime

The proportion of immigrants - according to the official wording "those without a German passport" - in criminal cases is exceptionally high. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser therefore promised to speed up the deportation procedures at the press conference in Berlin.

"Anyone who doesn't follow the rules must go," declared the Social Democrat Interior Minister.

While the number of suspects with German citizenship increased by one percent - to 1.32 million - in one year, the number of criminals with a migration background increased by 17.8 percent, to around 923 thousand people. The proportion of migrant criminals in relation to all crimes increased by 3.7 percentage points to 41.1 percent in one year, according to official statistics.

In response to a journalist's question, the Minister of the Interior urged the consistent action of the police and zero tolerance, and promised "faster procedures, consistent judgments and realistic punishments". According to Die Welt's report, Faeser has put forward the prospect of tightening the German criminal code and speeding up deportations, and the government is also planning new crime prevention campaigns, according to its promise.

Politicians are also responsible

Brandenburg Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) emphasized at the press conference that immigrants living in Germany commit crimes "above average".

The president of the conference also highlighted the responsibility of politicians, who "must firmly stand for the fact that the future of Germany depends on whether the people living there obey the law and order."

The number of juvenile offenders, including the proportion of those with an immigrant background, increased significantly in 2023. The authorities registered slightly more than 104,000 minor (under 14) suspects, which represents an extraordinary increase of 43 percent compared to 2019. The number of criminal proceedings initiated against 14-18-year-old offenders was around 177,000, which is 17 percent more than five years ago.

In both groups, the increase was most noticeable among immigrants. In the case of theft, the number of crimes committed by migrants also increased to a greater extent than among German suspects, Die Welt points out.

Minister: there is no pardon for admitted criminals

German Green Party Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir also commented on the police statistics.

"Whoever comes to Germany hoping for protection and commits a crime here cannot expect forgiveness. You have to leave our country again. This cannot be trivialized as a social problem"

the minister wrote on X.

"But the number of German criminals is also increasing. It would be too easy to blame everything on the increase in migration. Strengthening video camera surveillance at critical points, such as railway stations, can be a building block against crime in public areas."

Özdemir added.

Source: Die Welt / hirado.hu

Featured image: MTI/EPA/Filip Singer