'Safer' country
May 18, 2010
Crime in Germany decreased in 2009, while the number of criminals convicted rose, according to a new government report released by Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Tuesday.
The report showed that criminal acts dropped by one percent, to around 6.05 million.
Contributing to this was a decrease in youth crime, with acts of violence by people aged between 14 and 18 down nine percent to just under 40,000 cases. There were also 10 percent fewer cases of malicious damage by juveniles.
"Germany has become a safer country," de Maiziere said at a press conference when releasing the report in Berlin. "Germany is among the safest countries in the world.
"I commend police on their work in crime prevention … and with particular regards to youth and young adults," de Maiziere added.
The report also showed that the conviction rate had jumped to its highest level since the introduction of Germany-wide stats in 1993. De Maiziere said German law enforcement authorities had a 55 percent success rate in solving cases.
Violence, auto theft up
However, it wasn't all good news. In what de Maiziere described as an "alarming development," the report showed an increase in politically motivated violence as well as alcohol-related violence. Every third act of violence was committed under the influence of alcohol, the report said.
Internet fraud also increased, with the number of offenses rising 23.6 percent to just over 167,000 cases.
The report showed that car theft also rose last year, jumping nine percent to around 40,000 reported cases. The report highlighted an increasing deftness among car thieves with regards to electronic anti-theft devices.
The report said that many cars stolen in Germany were later shifted to eastern Europe for sale. It emphasized, however, that the overall number of car thefts had decreased by one-fifth since 1993.
Cases involving the sexual abuse of minors, meanwhile, dropped to their lowest levels since 1993, with around 11,300 incidents reported.
dfm/dpa/AP
Editor: Nancy Isenson