© dpa
The Berlin police registered almost 536,700 criminal offences last year.
This was 3.2 per cent more than in the previous year, as announced by Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD) and the police on Wednesday. The clearance rate for these offences was 45.5 per cent (2022: 44.9 per cent).
Most of the offences were thefts (around 213,000). In addition, there were almost 100,000 cases of fraud, including fare evasion or refuelling without paying. So-called violent offences such as assaults were counted in around 70,000 cases. The police identified 140,620 suspects, around 70 per cent of whom lived in Berlin. 106,671 victims of criminal offences were recorded (+11.6 per cent). Of these, 18,784 women, men, young people and children were victims of violence in relationships or within the family (+8.8 per cent). It is unclear whether there was actually more violence or whether the willingness to report such offences to the police is increasing.
9603 police officers were registered as victims of an attack or an act of violence (+10.1 per cent). This includes many attacks at demonstrations and also acts of resistance during checks and arrests, for example when a suspect breaks free. 376 paramedics and firefighters are listed in the statistics as victims of violence (+22.5 per cent). Spranger emphasised that violent crime in particular had risen, especially in public spaces. Violence always reflects the state of a society. Corona, migration, the war in Ukraine and Hamas terrorism against Israel are crises of recent years that are seeking an outlet, said Spranger. Society and politics must work together to combat this. "We have to join forces."