As of: 09/30/2021 3:08 p.m.
Whether at demos or football games – police officers are attacked again and again. Last year, according to the BKA, violence against police officers increased again. The increase in attempted and completed homicides is worrying.
The violence against police officers increased again in the past year. With a total of 38,960 cases, an increase of 0.8 percent was recorded compared to the previous year, reported the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). 84,831 police officers were victims of acts of violence – from throwing a bottle to attempting murder. The number of victims increased by 5.9 percent, in 2019 the increase was 1.2 percent compared to the previous year.
More attempted homicides and assaults
According to the BKA, the “sudden rise” of police officers who were victims of attempted and completed homicides is seen as worrying. A total of 114 police officers were counted as victims in 63 homicide crimes. Except for one murder case, however, it was an attempt.
There was also a significant increase in cases of dangerous and serious bodily harm, which increased by 20.6 percent compared to 2019 and rose to 2,749 victims of bodily harm. However, as in the previous year, most of the cases described as violence occurred in connection with resistance to police officers. More than 44,000 police officers were counted as victims here.
When violence against police officers is mentioned, the officers do not have to be physically injured. “It is sufficient if actions are taken out of general hostility towards the state or out of personal motives against the official or for other reasons,” it says in the presented picture of the situation.
Even if the percentage increase in violence compared to 2019 was only small: According to the BKA, the number of acts of violence against police officers has increased by 20 percent since 2012 and the number of officers registered as victims by as much as 42 percent. These developments highlighted an increasing willingness to use violence against emergency services and a declining appreciation, it said. Firefighters and rescue workers are also exposed to violence or verbal attacks during operations.
Victims and perpetrators mostly male
The majority of the victims of violence against police officers are male (79.6 percent) and between 25 and 35 years old. The suspects are mostly male (84.5 percent) and the majority German (69.8 percent), it said. Most of the time they acted alone, three quarters of the suspects were known to the police and a little more than half of them (52.4 percent) were drunk at the time of the crime. Often the suspects acted according to the information in the affect.
More acts of violence were recorded in eleven federal states. Thuringia recorded the highest percentage increase with an increase of 36.6 percent. In contrast, the number of cases declined in North Rhine-Westphalia, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg and Saarland.
Does the corona crisis have anything to do with it?
According to the BKA, lower case numbers were recorded during the first lockdown in spring 2020 compared to the two previous years. The number of police officers recorded as victims and the number of cases fell significantly in March, but in April and May were slightly above the previous year’s level. In contrast, the number of cases during the second lockdown from the beginning of November was significantly higher than in previous years. However, on the basis of the police crime statistics, no statements can be made about a connection between the measures to contain the pandemic or reactions of the population and the development of the number of cases, it said. Further analyzes would be necessary for this.