The dampening corona effect on crime in Bavaria has completely disappeared. Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) presented the crime statistics for 2022 on Wednesday – the first year in which most of the pandemic measures have been eliminated. The minister therefore emphasized that, as a comparative brand, one must primarily refer to the pre-corona year 2019. The “new normal”, as Herrmann put it, requires old opportunities to act.
Just as an example: Because more people are going to the office again instead of working from home, burglaries have become easier for the perpetrators again. Across all types of crime, there were 4,260 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in Bavaria in 2022. Significantly more than in the previous year 2021. Compared to 2019, however, this is a slight decrease of 1.9 percent. Offenses under foreigner law, such as illegal entry, are always excluded from the overall statistics. “Living in Bavaria means living more safely,” said the minister, adding that no clan crime like Berlin is allowed.
The basic tenor of the statistics: While there are only marginal fluctuations in many classic crime areas in the real world, peaks have been reached in the digital world. Police authorities are concerned that cybercrime cases have increased by more than 50 percent compared to 2019 – covering almost the entire spectrum of crime, from fraud and extortion to insults and sexual violence. At the same time, however, the minister emphasized that the number of unreported cases was even higher, since many of the injured parties did not report the offenses – because they did not expect any clarification. But at least 52.5 percent of crimes on the Internet could be solved in 2022, said Herrmann. That is still lower than the clear-up rate for all offenses (64.4 percent); for capital crimes such as murder and manslaughter, it is traditionally even around 90 percent.
Even more significant is the increase in crimes against sexual self-determination, including harassment, exhibitionism, distribution of pornographic material or abuse and rape. The numbers have increased by 77 percent compared to 2019. They have been increasing for years, mainly due to a change in criminal law, which has led to more offenses being reported. Under the slogan “No means no”, society has become more sensitive. On the other hand, the development is related to the spread of smartphones and messenger services, and a large proportion of the offenses also relate to child pornography.
Many such cases now end up with Bavarian authorities via international investigations and special research portals. In order to be able to work in a targeted manner in this area, Herrmann is campaigning for the legislation on IP address storage to be drafted quickly. “Behind the content on the Internet is the real abuse,” he said.
In addition, there is the continuing trend towards “schoolyard child pornography” – where young people are not only victims, but also consciously or unconsciously spread such depictions in chat groups. Herrmann promised a high priority in police work and more prevention in Bavaria’s schools. The domestic spokeswoman for the Greens, Katharina Schulze, called for more efforts by the state government away from the judiciary and the police. You have “an offensive to strengthen and protect children in Bavaria” in mind, through youth welfare offices, schools and kindergartens. “But there is nothing to see of that.”
Cannabis is “not a harmless substance”
The number of drug-related deaths in Bavaria rose again in 2022, from 255 to 277 people; for example due to methamphetamine, which is consumed as speed or often as crystal meth. The authorities have the import of crystal as a “permanent task” on the screen, said Herrmann, even if the source is now mostly in the Netherlands and no longer in the Czech Republic. However, the lion’s share of crime under the Narcotics Act – a good 34,000 out of 50,000 cases – involved cannabis. The state government is resisting the legalization sought by the traffic light government, Herrmann underlined this on Wednesday that it was “not a harmless substance – it is extremely dangerous”.
There was an increase of 3.3 percent compared to 2019 in violent crimes, i.e. murder, manslaughter, robbery and, above all, bodily harm. More than 80 percent of robbery offenses took place in public spaces. Herrmann announced more police presence and controls at crime hotspots, and video surveillance should also be expanded. Citizens should be able to move about in Bavaria without fear, “always and everywhere”.
Almost 20 percent of all crimes in 2022 were property and counterfeiting crimes, a slight decrease. Herrmann explicitly dealt with currently widespread scams, such as fake police officers, shock calls and the so-called grandchild trick. The media has an important role to play in raising awareness.
Of a total of 256,035 suspects, 93,375 were non-German citizens. This corresponds to an increase of one percent compared to 2019. “The proportion of suspected immigrants still plays an important role,” said Herrmann. 5,694 offenses were counted at asylum seeker accommodation as crime scenes, compared to the peak in 2016 (12,300) a clear minus. Nevertheless, the police operations in accommodation are still at a high level; There were 11,500 missions in 2022. “We need qualified immigrants, but not at the expense of security,” said Herrmann. He raised the prospect of deportations of migrants without a right of residence.