Violent crime at German train stations rose by 6% year-on-year in 2024 and by 51% since 2019, according to the Federal Police’s annual report released this week.
Last year, federal police recorded 27,160 violent crimes that occurred at stations and on trains. This amounts to an average of 74 violent crimes per day across Germany’s rail network.
Sexual crimes also skyrocketed, with cases of exhibitionism, sexual harassment and rape increasing by 19.2%, reaching levels that affected both large cities and small rural stations.
The total number of crimes at stations and on trains decreased by 10.1% to 381,894, mainly due to a decrease in housing law violations.
According to the federal government, data released so far shows that Berlin Main Station had the highest number of violent incidents at 764, followed by Dortmund with 735, Hannover with 715 and Cologne with 703.
“This report worries us,” Manuel Ostermann, vice president of the federal police union, told Euronews.
“While overall crime numbers are down, the really important ones, such as violent crimes, sexual offenses and weapons law violations, are looking worse.”
Overall crime in Germany fell by 18.8% to around 640,000 crimes, while violent crimes and sexual crimes increased by 6.6% and 13% respectively. This figure reflects only reported crimes and does not indicate prosecution or conviction rates.
male, drunk, foreigner
Osterman said part of the reason for the increase in violence is “marginalized” youth who are left without adequate social support infrastructure. He cited overwhelmed families, increased domestic violence and drug use as contributing factors.
“Extremists are very good at recruiting young people,” Osterman said. “In fact, the discussion starts at home.”
He also pointed to immigration patterns, noting that perpetrators are predominantly male and disproportionately come from the top asylum-seeking countries compared to the overall population.
According to the report, around 79% of the perpetrators were male, half were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and just over half (53%) were not German nationals.
Federal police and Deutsche Bahn responded with stepped-up patrols, questioning of dangerous individuals, a weapons-free zone, and 11,000 surveillance cameras.
Mr. Ostermann called on Deutsche Bahn to increase the number of security personnel and accelerate the modernization of stations. “Bright and clean stations can increase a sense of security and lead to a reduction in crime,” he said.
Bottles, locks, daily necessities
Assaults on federal police officers remain near record levels, down slightly from 2,979 in 2023 to 2,967 last year, but still the second highest since records began in 2001. Approximately 804 police officers were injured.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrint said: “Any attack on the physical integrity of civil servants is an attack on society as a whole, on peaceful coexistence.”
Most attacks involved physical violence such as kicking, punching, spitting, biting, and headbutting. In one in eight incidents, the perpetrator used an object as a weapon, most commonly a bottle, stone, or household item.
Osterman praised Dobrindt’s efforts, but said security failures over the past decade have caused problems. “Dark times will come in terms of security. More cameras is good, but the lack of technology, legal framework and personnel will create problems,” he told Euronews.
He criticized the lack of cooperation between the federal and state governments on security issues, citing neglected schools as an example. “It’s going to take the equivalent of a marathon to rebuild this,” he said.
