Crime Jumps in Germany’s Most Populous State

Crime figures in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), increased by 13.7 percent compared to last year, and in the case of serious crimes like murder, non-Germans were vastly overrepresented.

The jump in crime saw an increase of 1.37 million offenses compared to 2021, according to NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU), who announced the figures on Tuesday.

The report highlights that areas such as violent crime saw a startling jump. The category of “murder and manslaughter,” for example, saw a 23.4 percent rise, resulting in 380 cases.

The crime data highlights the disproportionate amount of crimes committed by offenders without a German passport, which make up approximately 14.2 percent of the NRW population. This group is responsible for 32.1 percent of all attempted murders and murders in NRW, while in the area of manslaughter, they are responsible for 41.9 percent.

For the category of “rape in particularly serious cases,” foreigners account for an astounding 48.1 percent of cases.

It should also be noted that foreigners who have gained German citizenship, along with second-generation immigrants who have German citizenship, are simply listed as “Germans” in the crime statistics, so it is unclear what percentage of crimes ethnic Germans are responsible for.

Foreigners are also vastly overrepresented in “crimes committed by groups,” with the data showing 75 percent of all offenses in this area were committed by foreigners. Eighty percent of all gas station robberies were also committed by foreigners.

The dramatic year-over-year increase in crime from 2021 to 2022 had much to do with a rebound effect from the Covid-19 crisis. However, at the same time, 2022 stands out as an especially bad year even over a longer period of time. In terms of murders and manslaughter cases, NRW had the third-worst year over the last 10 years.

In some categories, the data for 2022 shows that crime is soaring to a 20-year high, which marks a worrying trend in Germany’s overall security structure. For example, assaults increased by 23.9 percent, representing the biggest jump in 10 years. There were also 142,316 bodily injury cases recorded, reaching their highest level in 20 years; and of those, 37,284 cases fell under “dangerous or serious” assault, their highest level in at least 20 years.

NRW’s interior minister, Herbert Reul, said he sees a “pendulum effect after the lockdown period, but also overcompensation in some areas.” Given that some crimes were not possible or less likely due to the pandemic, this is now being “made up for” with “more excessive and more wild (crimes) and more of the same.”

He claimed the “permanent crisis mode” of pandemic, war and inflation had made many people more selfish and frustrated, saying, “I think we all feel that. The tone has gotten harsher.”