The recent report of the Bundeskriminalamt for the year 2021[1] confirms the downward trend in crime in Germany, which fell by 4.9% compared to the previous year (5,047,860 crimes, a decrease of 262,761 compared to 2020). This is the fifth year in a row that the trend has continued and moved further away from the total data of six million recorded between 1993 and 2009 or between 2014 and 2016.
The most significant declines, correlating with the evolution of the pandemic and countermeasures, are found in crimes against infectious disease legislation, down 82.7%; robberies and thefts, which, combined, are down 11.8% (199,044 cases in total figures); and minor malicious injuries (-10%, 37,306 fewer cases). Also decreasing are crimes against weapons legislation (-12.5%) and crimes involving serious violence (homicides of various types and serious injuries), which have fallen by 6.8%.
On the contrary, crimes of dissemination of pornographic content (of children and young people), rising by 87.8%, and threats (+21.9%), are mainly increasing. On the other hand, somewhat surprisingly (especially considering the context of increased online activity), cybercrime (+12%) has risen less. Other increases are not quantitatively significant.
In line with the decrease in crimes, the number of detainees has also decreased (3.9%), both the number of German detainees (4.1%) and those of other nationalities (-3.6%). The crime clearance rate remains stable, with a slight downward trend (-0.3%).
In summary, these are crime trends that do not correspond to those of other neighbouring countries; while cybercrime has risen moderately (despite the significant growth of the digital world), property crime has gone down very sharply, and violent crime is down more moderately, but also significantly.
[1] See https://www.bka.de/DE/AktuelleInformationen/StatistikenLagebilder/PolizeilicheKriminalstatistik/PKS2021/pks2021_node.html;jsessionid=C1BF5345D19E9FB1E8769E30406A6CB4.live292
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