Rethinking crime statistics: The immigrant perspective in Germany
New statistics indicate that immigrants in Germany commit crimes more frequently than the rest of the country's residents. However, experts caution against drawing overly simplistic conclusions from this.
Has Germany become safer? A cursory glance at the current police crime statistics might suggest so. The number of registered crimes decreased by 1.7 percent in 2024, with the police recording 5.84 million cases.
However, upon closer examination of the figures, doubts arise about whether the situation has improved.
Fewer offences thanks to marijuana legalisation
The answer is no. The primary reason for the decline is the legalisation of the possession and cultivation of cannabis for personal use. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the head of the Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Münch, emphasised this during the presentation of the latest crime data.
Both were particularly concerned about the 1.5-percent increase in violent crimes, now over 217,000 cases. Among these were nearly 18,000 knife attacks. When such incidents occur in public places and the perpetrator does not have a German passport, it invariably sparks a political debate in Germany. The question often arises whether increased migration leads to more crime.
Münch: "It's not about origin"
The statistics show that there are significantly more foreign suspects than German ones relative to their proportion of the total population. This applies to both violent crimes, such as murder or rape, and street crimes, which include various offences from pickpocketing to drug trafficking. In this context, BKA chief Holger Münch emphasises that it is not about origin, but the concentration of risk factors.
This includes the living conditions of refugees, which are often very challenging. They have to live in mass accommodation centres and cannot work. Münch lists key reasons for higher crime rates among foreigners: psychological stress. Immigrants experience violence more often, especially in childhood. They also have a more positive attitude towards violence, he states.
Faeser: "We must discuss this without fuelling animosity"
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser understands how emotional and populist the debate about immigrant crime often is. "We must discuss this openly. But, I emphasise again, without stirring up animosity," she said. In this context, she also mentions the problematic situation of many refugees, whose human traffickers painted a false picture of Germany.
Faeser encouraged the media to report more often that refugees frequently have to spend several years in tents with strangers. The interior minister hopes this will reduce the motivation of some people to enter Germany.
Misleading term: "Foreign crime"
From a scientific standpoint, it has long been understood that the term "foreign crime" is potentially misleading and can reinforce prejudices. Susann Prätor from the Lower Saxony Police Academy has researched migration and crime for years. A few days before the publication of the police crime statistics, she presented her findings at a press conference organised by the Mediendienst Integration centre.
Her statements about the high percentage of foreigners among suspects accorded with those of the interior minister and the head of the criminal police. "Ultimately, it's not about nationality or origin, but about the conditions in which people live in Germany," she emphasised.
causes: poverty, poor education, violence
Susann Prätor is a sociologist, psychologist, and lawyer by training. Her perspective is therefore broad, and she lists the causes of crime irrespective of passport and origin: poverty, poor education, worse financial circumstances, living in uncertain conditions, violence from parents. However, the researcher notes, "A particular image of masculinity is more pronounced in some groups with non-German origin."
The expert also points to another possible explanation for the statistically significantly higher number of foreign suspects: the behaviour of victims and witnesses. "It has been empirically proven in studies that people perceived as foreigners are reported more often than those perceived as Germans," she says. Prätor suspects that appearance or language influences this.
Don't lump all foreigners together
The researcher also finds it problematic that a heterogeneous group is treated as one regarding so-called foreign crime. An immigrant from the USA, a traumatised war refugee from Syria, a Turk who came to Germany decades ago, a tourist, and a foreigner who came here to commit a crime and then left Germany are all compared to people with German passports.
To slightly correct this distorted image, numerical data in the annually published police crime statistics are now presented in a more differentiated way. This includes indicating that the proportion of men and younger people is higher among the non-German population—this alone should result in a higher crime rate. This happens because men and young people, regardless of origin, are more often involved in criminal activities.
The police also point out that there are crimes that can inherently only be committed by foreigners: primarily offences against asylum and residence laws.
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