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'''Immigration and crime in Germany''' refers to [[crime]]s committed against and by [[immigrant]]s in [[Germany]]. Some fear that immigrants commit disproportionate numbers or particular types of crime, or assume that those fears can have significant political impact.
'''Immigration and crime in Germany''' refers to [[crime]]s committed against and by [[immigrant]]s in [[Germany]]. Some fear that immigrants commit disproportionate numbers or particular types of crime, or assume that those fears can have significant political impact.


==Criminal activity by immigrants ==
==Overview ==
⚫
While some studies show a correlation between immigrant populations in Germany and crime,<ref>Chapin, Wesley D. "Ausländer Raus? The Empirical Relationship between Immigration and Crime in Germany." Social Science Quarterly 78, no. 2 (1997): 543-58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42864353.</ref> most studies on the subject have shown little correlation between migrants and crime in Germany.<ref name="HornFears">{{cite news|last1=Horn|first1=Heather|title=Where Does Fear of Refugees Come From?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/04/refugees-crime-rumors/480171/|accessdate=25 July 2016|publisher=The Atlantic|date=27 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="CrimeNotIncreased">{{cite news|title=Report: refugees have not increased crime rate in Germany|url=http://www.dw.com/en/report-refugees-have-not-increased-crime-rate-in-germany/a-18848890|accessdate=25 July 2016|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=13 November 2015}}</ref> In May 2016, [[PolitiFact.com|Politifact]] deemed [[Donald Trump]]'s statement that "Germany "is crime-riddled right now" because of migration to Europe" as mostly false.<ref name=":33">{{Cite web|url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/may/11/donald-trump/donald-trump-says-germany-now-riddled-crime-thanks/|title=Donald Trump says Germany now riddled with crime thanks to refugees|website=@politifact|access-date=2016-05-12}}</ref> The fact-checker noted that Germany's crime rate, particularly the violent crime rate, is far lower than in the United States, and that data suggest that the crime rate of the average refugee is lower than that of the average German.<ref name=":33" />
Some studies show a correlation between immigrant populations in Germany and crime.<ref>Chapin, Wesley D. "Ausländer Raus? The Empirical Relationship between Immigration and Crime in Germany." Social Science Quarterly 78, no. 2 (1997): 543-58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42864353.</ref>


⚫
However, in April 2017, the crime figures released for 2016 showed that the number of suspected crimes by refugees, asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants increased by 50 percent.<ref name=":0">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/25/migrant-crime-germany-rises-50-per-cent-new-figures-show/</ref> The figures showed that most of the suspected crimes were by repeat offenders, and that 1 percent of migrants accounted for 40 percent of total migrant crimes.<ref name=":0" /> In 2016 and 2017, reported crimes in [[Lower Saxony]] rose by more than 10 percent, an increase "attributed overwhelmingly to cases involving refugees."<ref name="BenholdTrial"/>
⚫
Whereas the [[Gastarbeiter]] in the 50s and 60s did not have an elevated crime rate, second- and third-generation of immigrants had significantly higher crime rates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsf.uni-greifswald.de/fileadmin/mediapool/lehrstuehle/harrendorf/Germany_youngMig.pdf|title=Migration and ethnic minorities in Germany: impacts on youth crime, juvenile justice and youth imprisonment|last=Dünkel|first=Frieder|date=|website=|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128113053/https://www.rsf.uni-greifswald.de/fileadmin/mediapool/lehrstuehle/harrendorf/Germany_youngMig.pdf|archive-date=28 January 2016|dead-url=yes|accessdate=}}</ref>


⚫
The first comprehensive study of the social effects of the one million refugees going to Germany found that it caused "very small increases in crime in particular with respect to drug offenses and fare-dodging."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://qz.com/901076/what-effect-did-the-record-influx-of-refugees-have-on-jobs-and-crime-in-germany-not-much/|title=What effect did the record influx of refugees have on jobs and crime in Germany? Not much|last=Mohdin|first=Aamna|newspaper=Quartz|language=en-US|access-date=2017-02-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gehrsitz|first=Markus|last2=Ungerer|first2=Martin|date=2017-01-01|title=Jobs, Crime, and Votes: A Short-Run Evaluation of the Refugee Crisis in Germany|ssrn=2903116|location=Rochester, NY}}</ref> A report released by the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation in November 2015 found that over the period January–September 2015, the crime rate of refugees was the same as that of native Germans.<ref name=":18">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/report-refugees-have-not-increased-crime-rate-in-germany/a-18848890|title=Report: refugees have not increased crime rate in Germany {{!}} News {{!}} DW.COM {{!}} 13.11.2015|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|access-date=2016-01-26}}</ref> According to [[Deutsche Welle]], the report "concluded that the majority of crimes committed by refugees (67 percent) consisted of theft, robbery and fraud. Sex crimes made for less than 1 percent of all crimes committed by refugees, while homicide registered the smallest fraction at 0,1 percent."<ref name=":18" /> According to the conservative newspaper [[Die Welt]]'s description of the report, the most common crime committed by refugees was not paying fares on public transportation.<ref>13.11.15 Straftaten "im sehr niedrigen sechsstelligen Bereich", Die Welt, https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article148812603/Straftaten-im-sehr-niedrigen-sechsstelligen-Bereich.html</ref> According to Deutsche Welle's reporting in February 2016 of a report by the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation, the number of crimes committed by refugees did not rise in proportion to the number of refugees between 2014-2015.<ref name=":32">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/report-refugee-related-crimes-in-germany-increase-less-than-influx-of-asylum-seekers/a-19053227|title=Report: Refugee-related crimes in Germany increase less than influx of asylum seekers {{!}} NRS-Import {{!}} DW.COM {{!}} 17.02.2016|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref> According to Deutsche Welle, "between 2014 and 2015, the number of crimes committed by refugees increased by 79 percent. Over the same period, however, the number of refugees in Germany increased by 440 percent."<ref name=":32" />
⚫
A study in the ''[[European Economic Review]]'' found that the German government's policy of immigration of more than 3 million people of German descent to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a significant increase in crime.<ref name=":352">{{Cite journal|last=Piopiunik|first=Marc|last2=Ruhose|first2=Jens|title=Immigration, regional conditions, and crime: evidence from an allocation policy in Germany|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014292116302252|journal=European Economic Review|doi=10.1016/j.euroecorev.2016.12.004}}</ref> The effects were strongest in regions with high unemployment, high preexisting crime levels or large shares of foreigners.<ref name=":352" />


⚫
A study in the ''[[European Economic Review]]'' found that the German government's policy of immigration of more than 3 million people of German descent to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a significant increase in crime.<ref name=":352">{{Cite journal|last=Piopiunik|first=Marc|last2=Ruhose|first2=Jens|title=Immigration, regional conditions, and crime: evidence from an allocation policy in Germany|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014292116302252|journal=European Economic Review|doi=10.1016/j.euroecorev.2016.12.004}}</ref> The effects were strongest in regions with high unemployment, high preexisting crime levels or large shares of foreigners.<ref name=":352" />
[[Deutsche Welle|DW]] reported in 2006 that in Berlin, young male immigrants are three times more likely to commit violent crimes than their German peers, in contrast to Duisburg which showed a lower rate.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,1953916,00.html|title=Identifying the Roots of Immigrant Crime|work=DW.COM}}</ref>


⚫
[[Deutsche Welle|DW]] reported in 2006 that in Berlin, young male immigrants are three times more likely to commit violent crimes than their German peers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,1953916,00.html|title=Identifying the Roots of Immigrant Crime|work=DW.COM}}</ref> Whereas the [[Gastarbeiter]] in the 50s and 60s did not have an elevated crime rate, second- and third-generation of immigrants had significantly higher crime rates.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.rsf.uni-greifswald.de/fileadmin/mediapool/lehrstuehle/harrendorf/Germany_youngMig.pdf|title = Migration and ethnic minorities in Germany: impacts on youth crime, juvenile justice and youth imprisonment|date = |accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last =Dünkel|first=Frieder|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128113053/https://www.rsf.uni-greifswald.de/fileadmin/mediapool/lehrstuehle/harrendorf/Germany_youngMig.pdf|archive-date=28 January 2016|dead-url=yes}}</ref>
According to Deutsche Welle's reporting in February 2016 of a report by the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation, the number of crimes committed by refugees did not rise in proportion to the number of refugees between 2014-2015.<ref name=":32">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/report-refugee-related-crimes-in-germany-increase-less-than-influx-of-asylum-seekers/a-19053227|title=Report: Refugee-related crimes in Germany increase less than influx of asylum seekers {{!}} NRS-Import {{!}} DW.COM {{!}} 17.02.2016|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref> According to Deutsche Welle, "between 2014 and 2015, the number of crimes committed by refugees increased by 79 percent. Over the same period, however, the number of refugees in Germany increased by 440 percent."<ref name=":32" />

A report released by the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation in November 2015 found that over the period January–September 2015, the crime rate of refugees was the same as that of native Germans.<ref name=":18">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/report-refugees-have-not-increased-crime-rate-in-germany/a-18848890|title=Report: refugees have not increased crime rate in Germany {{!}} News {{!}} DW.COM {{!}} 13.11.2015|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|access-date=2016-01-26}}</ref>

⚫
In April 2017, the crime figures released for 2016 showed that the number of suspected crimes by refugees, asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants increased by 50 percent.<ref name=":0">https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/25/migrant-crime-germany-rises-50-per-cent-new-figures-show/</ref> The figures showed that most of the suspected crimes were by repeat offenders, and that 1 percent of migrants accounted for 40 percent of total migrant crimes.<ref name=":0" /> In 2016 and 2017, reported crimes in [[Lower Saxony]] rose by more than 10 percent, an increase "attributed overwhelmingly to cases involving refugees."<ref name="BenholdTrial" />

⚫
A 2017 study of the social effects of the one million refugees going to Germany concluded that little was known about the impact the refugee influx had on labour markets, crime and voting behaviour and identified a very small rising trend in fare-dodging and drug offences.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://qz.com/901076/what-effect-did-the-record-influx-of-refugees-have-on-jobs-and-crime-in-germany-not-much/|title=What effect did the record influx of refugees have on jobs and crime in Germany? Not much|last=Mohdin|first=Aamna|newspaper=Quartz|language=en-US|access-date=2017-02-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gehrsitz|first=Markus|last2=Ungerer|first2=Martin|date=2017-01-01|title=Jobs, Crime, and Votes: A Short-Run Evaluation of the Refugee Crisis in Germany|ssrn=2903116|location=Rochester, NY}}</ref> According to [[Deutsche Welle]], the report "concluded that the majority of crimes committed by refugees (67 percent) consisted of theft, robbery and fraud. Sex crimes made for less than 1 percent of all crimes committed by refugees, while homicide registered the smallest fraction at 0,1 percent."<ref name=":18" /> According to the conservative newspaper [[Die Welt]]'s description of the report, the most common crime committed by refugees was not paying fares on public transportation.<ref>13.11.15 Straftaten "im sehr niedrigen sechsstelligen Bereich", Die Welt, https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article148812603/Straftaten-im-sehr-niedrigen-sechsstelligen-Bereich.html</ref>


=== By region ===
=== By region ===
<!--Add Berlin-->
⚫
For example, [[Hamburg]] police reported criminal proceedings being opened against 38,000 people in the first six months of 2016, of which 16,600 persons or 43% of the defendants had no German papers. This represents a rise from 41% of defendants without German papers in 2015.<ref name="ab"/> The number of foreign criminals increased by 16.7% over 2015; 9.5% of the suspects were refugees. The figures did not include crimes against the German alien law. Foreign crime gangs were named as one reason for the rising figures. Refugees committed mostly pickpocketing, representing 30.6% of all suspects. 27.5% of suspects in drug dealing also arrived as refugees. Another common crime committed by refugees was bodily injury, with 1,014 cases reported, mostly in the asylum centers.<ref name="ab">{{cite web|url=http://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/polizeimeldungen/article208273151/Auslaender-Kriminalitaet-in-Hamburg-Die-Zahlen-der-Polizei.html|title=Ausländer-Kriminalität in Hamburg: Die Zahlen der Polizei|trans-title=Foreign crime in Hamburg: The figures of the police|work=Hamburger Abendblatt|date=21 September 2016|accessdate=13 November 2016|language=German}}</ref>


==== Berlin ====
[[Deutsche Welle|DW]] reported in 2006 that in Berlin, young male immigrants are three times more likely to commit violent crimes than their German peers.<ref name=":1" />

==== Cologne ====
{{Main|New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany#Cologne}}
On New Year's Eve 2015, hundreds of women reported being robbed or groped by groups of men described by police and prosecutor of Cologne as appearing largely from the [[MENA|Middle East and North Africa]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/04/refugees-crime-rumors/480171/|title=Where Does Fear of Refugees Come From?|last=Horn|first=Heather|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-05-10|language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Hamburg ====
⚫
For example, [[Hamburg]] police reported criminal proceedings being opened against 38,000 people in the first six months of 2016, of which 16,600 persons or 43% of the defendants had no German papers. This represents a rise from 41% of defendants without German papers in 2015.<ref name="ab" /> The number of foreign criminals increased by 16.7% over 2015; 9.5% of the suspects were refugees. The figures did not include crimes against the German alien law. Foreign crime gangs were named as one reason for the rising figures. Refugees committed mostly pickpocketing, representing 30.6% of all suspects. 27.5% of suspects in drug dealing also arrived as refugees. Another common crime committed by refugees was bodily injury, with 1,014 cases reported, mostly in the asylum centers.<ref name="ab">{{cite web|url=http://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/polizeimeldungen/article208273151/Auslaender-Kriminalitaet-in-Hamburg-Die-Zahlen-der-Polizei.html|title=Ausländer-Kriminalität in Hamburg: Die Zahlen der Polizei|trans-title=Foreign crime in Hamburg: The figures of the police|work=Hamburger Abendblatt|date=21 September 2016|accessdate=13 November 2016|language=German}}</ref>

==== Lower Saxony ====
In 2016 and 2017, reported crimes in [[Lower Saxony]] rose by more than 10 percent, an increase "attributed overwhelmingly to cases involving refugees."<ref name="BenholdTrial" />

==== Saxony ====
On 5 December 2016, the Interior Minister of [[Saxony]], [[Markus Ulbig]], released figures about foreign criminals in his state from January to September. A large proportion of them came from [[North Africa]]; 664 North Africans were responsible for 36% of all 14,043 crimes committed by immigrants.<ref name="bild"/> By the end of October 2016, 31,000 asylum seekers resided in Saxony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sz-online.de/sachsen/innenminister-ulbig-stellt-lagebericht-asyl-und-kriminalitaetsentwicklung-zuwanderer-vor-3556831.html|title=Innenminister Ulbig stellt "Lagebericht Asyl und Kriminalitätsentwicklung Zuwanderer" vor|trans-title=Minister of the Interior Ulbig presents 'Situation Report on Asylum and the Development of Crime Migrants'|work=Sächsische Zeitung|date=5 December 2016|accessdate=6 December 2016|language=German}}</ref> In total, in Saxony 7,579 immigrants were perpetrators, counting only solved cases. 5,288 of the crimes were theft and robbery; 2,214 were bodily injury; and 169 were sexual assaults, representing a rise from 25 recorded cases in 2013. 46% of all immigrants who came from the [[Maghreb]] states went on to commit crimes in the state.<ref name="bild">{{cite web|url=http://www.bild.de/regional/dresden/gewalt/169-sexualstraftaten-durch-zuwanderer-49085760.bild.html|title=169 Sexual-Straftaten durch Zuwanderer!|trans-title=169 Sexual offenses by immigrants!|work=Bild.de|date=5 December 2016|accessdate=6 December 2016|language=German}}</ref>
On 5 December 2016, the Interior Minister of [[Saxony]], [[Markus Ulbig]], released figures about foreign criminals in his state from January to September. A large proportion of them came from [[North Africa]]; 664 North Africans were responsible for 36% of all 14,043 crimes committed by immigrants.<ref name="bild"/> By the end of October 2016, 31,000 asylum seekers resided in Saxony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sz-online.de/sachsen/innenminister-ulbig-stellt-lagebericht-asyl-und-kriminalitaetsentwicklung-zuwanderer-vor-3556831.html|title=Innenminister Ulbig stellt "Lagebericht Asyl und Kriminalitätsentwicklung Zuwanderer" vor|trans-title=Minister of the Interior Ulbig presents 'Situation Report on Asylum and the Development of Crime Migrants'|work=Sächsische Zeitung|date=5 December 2016|accessdate=6 December 2016|language=German}}</ref> In total, in Saxony 7,579 immigrants were perpetrators, counting only solved cases. 5,288 of the crimes were theft and robbery; 2,214 were bodily injury; and 169 were sexual assaults, representing a rise from 25 recorded cases in 2013. 46% of all immigrants who came from the [[Maghreb]] states went on to commit crimes in the state.<ref name="bild">{{cite web|url=http://www.bild.de/regional/dresden/gewalt/169-sexualstraftaten-durch-zuwanderer-49085760.bild.html|title=169 Sexual-Straftaten durch Zuwanderer!|trans-title=169 Sexual offenses by immigrants!|work=Bild.de|date=5 December 2016|accessdate=6 December 2016|language=German}}</ref>


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==Crimes against immigrants==
==Crimes against immigrants==
There were 797 attacks against residences of refugees or migrants from January to October 2016, according to data collected by the German [[Federal Criminal Office (Germany)|Federal Criminal Office]]. 740 attacks had a right-wing background, which also couldn't be ruled out in 57 further cases. Of these, 320 cases of property damage were recorded, in 180 cases propaganda material was dispersed and in 137 cases violence was used. In addition, 61 incidents of arson as well as 10 violations of the Explosives Law, 4 of them in front of a residence of refugees, were registered. According to ''[[Der Tagesspiegel]]'', there were also 11 cases of attempted murder or homicide.<ref name=":2" />
There were 797 attacks against residences of refugees or migrants from January to October 2016, according to data collected by the German [[Federal Criminal Office (Germany)|Federal Criminal Office]]. 740 attacks had a right-wing background, which also couldn't be ruled out in 57 further cases. Of these, 320 cases of property damage were recorded, in 180 cases propaganda material was dispersed and in 137 cases violence was used. In addition, 61 incidents of arson as well as 10 violations of the Explosives Law, 4 of them in front of a residence of refugees, were registered. According to ''[[Der Tagesspiegel]]'', there were also 11 cases of attempted murder or homicide. In 2015, there had been 1,029 attacks against refugee residences, following 199 in 2014.<ref>[http://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/2016-10/asylunterkuenfte-angriffe-800-straftaten-fluechtlingsheime BKA zählt fast 800 Angriffe auf Flüchtlingsunterkünfte], Die Zeit, 19 October 2016, in German</ref>

There were 69 attacks against [[Refugee shelter|refugee stations]] in 2013, 199 in 2014 and about a 1000 for each year in 2015 and 2016.<ref name=":2">[http://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/2016-10/asylunterkuenfte-angriffe-800-straftaten-fluechtlingsheime BKA zählt fast 800 Angriffe auf Flüchtlingsunterkünfte], Die Zeit, 19 October 2016, in German</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/de/deutschland-weniger-angriffe-auf-fl%C3%BCchtlingsunterk%C3%BCnfte/a-41899813|title=Deutschland: Weniger Angriffe auf Flüchtlingsunterkünfte {{!}} DW {{!}} 22.12.2017|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|language=de|access-date=2018-05-10}}</ref> In 2017 the number of attacks on refugee stations decreased to 264, which was mainly attributed to the migrant inflow having reduced significantly and consequently many stations had been closed as they were no longer necessary.<ref name=":3" /> Nearly all attacks in 2017, 251 out of 264, were perpetrated by [[Far-right politics|rightwing]] extremists.<ref name=":3" /> Of the attacks recorded in 2017, 84 were propaganda, 65 were property damage and 39 were violence. Of the violent attacks 16 arson attacks two attacks using explosives. In 54 court cases, 84 individuals received a sentence.<ref name=":3" />


==Political impact==
==Political impact==
According to criminologist [[Simon Cottee]], sociologist [[Stanley Cohen (sociologist)|Stanley Cohen]] analyzed fear of immigrant crime among Germans and other contemporary Europeans in the 1960s as a form of [[moral panic]].<ref name="CotteePanic">{{cite news|last1=Cottee|first1=Stanley|title=Europe's moral panic about the migrant Muslim 'other'|url=http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-cottee-fear-of-refugees-20151013-story.html|accessdate=25 July 2016|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=13 October 2015}}</ref>
According to criminologist [[Simon Cottee]], sociologist [[Stanley Cohen (sociologist)|Stanley Cohen]] analyzed fear of immigrant crime among Germans and other contemporary Europeans in the 1960s as a form of [[moral panic]].<ref name="CotteePanic">{{cite news|last1=Cottee|first1=Stanley|title=Europe's moral panic about the migrant Muslim 'other'|url=http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-cottee-fear-of-refugees-20151013-story.html|accessdate=25 July 2016|publisher=Los Angeles Times|date=13 October 2015}}</ref>

In October 2015, the then [[Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)|Minister of the Interior]], [[Thomas de Maizière]], ordered a report to "dispel rumours about an increase in crime in Germany" in view of [[European migrant crisis|the recent refugee influx]] to Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/report-refugees-have-not-increased-crime-rate-in-germany/a-18848890|title=Report: refugees have not increased crime rate in Germany {{!}} DW {{!}} 13.11.2015|last=(www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche Welle|website=DW.COM|language=en|access-date=2018-05-10}}</ref>

⚫
In May 2016, [[PolitiFact.com|Politifact]] deemed [[Donald Trump]]'s statement that "Germany "is crime-riddled right now" because of migration to Europe" as mostly false.<ref name=":33">{{Cite web|url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/may/11/donald-trump/donald-trump-says-germany-now-riddled-crime-thanks/|title=Donald Trump says Germany now riddled with crime thanks to refugees|website=@politifact|access-date=2016-05-12}}</ref> The fact-checker noted that Germany's crime rate, particularly the violent crime rate, is far lower than in the United States, and that data suggest that the crime rate of the average refugee is lower than that of the average German.<ref name=":33" />


Four violent crimes committed during the week of 18 July 2016&ndash;three of them, the [[Reutlingen knife attack]], [[2016 Ansbach bombing]], [[Würzburg train attack]], were committed by asylum seekers&ndash;created significant political pressure for changes in the [[Angela Merkel]] administration policy of welcoming refugees.<ref name="RefugeePolicy">{{cite news|title=German Refugee Policy Under Fire After a Week of Bloodshed|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/25/world/europe/ap-eu-germany-merkels-migrant-troubles.html|accessdate=25 July 2016|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The New York Times|date=25 July 2016}}</ref> The [[Wall Street Journal]] reported that two notorious crimes committed by asylum seekers in consecutive weeks in December 2016 had added fuel to debates on immigration and surveillance in Germany.<ref>{{cite news|last1=ANTON TROIANOVSKI|title=New Berlin Crime Adds Fuel to German Debate Over Surveillance and Immigration|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-berlin-crime-adds-fuel-to-german-debate-over-surveillance-and-immigration-1482869776|accessdate=27 December 2016|work=The Wall Street Journal|quote=A week after a deadly terror attack at a Christmas market, another crime in the German capital is feeding a debate over how the country balances security and civil liberties. [...] By Tuesday, the suspects in the case had been detained. They were asylum seekers—six from Syria and one from Libya, according to police.}}</ref> The [[2017 Kandel stabbing attack]], in which a migrant who had been denied refugee status but who had not been deported killed his 16-year-old girlfriend, intensified the discussion about admitting migrants.<ref name="BenholdTrial">{{cite news|last1=Benhold|first1=Katrin|title=A Girl’s Killing Puts Germany’s Migration Policy on Trial|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/world/europe/germany-teen-murder-migrant.html?_r=0|accessdate=18 January 2018|publisher=New York Times|date=17 January 2018}}</ref>
Four violent crimes committed during the week of 18 July 2016&ndash;three of them, the [[Reutlingen knife attack]], [[2016 Ansbach bombing]], [[Würzburg train attack]], were committed by asylum seekers&ndash;created significant political pressure for changes in the [[Angela Merkel]] administration policy of welcoming refugees.<ref name="RefugeePolicy">{{cite news|title=German Refugee Policy Under Fire After a Week of Bloodshed|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/25/world/europe/ap-eu-germany-merkels-migrant-troubles.html|accessdate=25 July 2016|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The New York Times|date=25 July 2016}}</ref> The [[Wall Street Journal]] reported that two notorious crimes committed by asylum seekers in consecutive weeks in December 2016 had added fuel to debates on immigration and surveillance in Germany.<ref>{{cite news|last1=ANTON TROIANOVSKI|title=New Berlin Crime Adds Fuel to German Debate Over Surveillance and Immigration|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-berlin-crime-adds-fuel-to-german-debate-over-surveillance-and-immigration-1482869776|accessdate=27 December 2016|work=The Wall Street Journal|quote=A week after a deadly terror attack at a Christmas market, another crime in the German capital is feeding a debate over how the country balances security and civil liberties. [...] By Tuesday, the suspects in the case had been detained. They were asylum seekers—six from Syria and one from Libya, according to police.}}</ref> The [[2017 Kandel stabbing attack]], in which a migrant who had been denied refugee status but who had not been deported killed his 16-year-old girlfriend, intensified the discussion about admitting migrants.<ref name="BenholdTrial">{{cite news|last1=Benhold|first1=Katrin|title=A Girl’s Killing Puts Germany’s Migration Policy on Trial|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/world/europe/germany-teen-murder-migrant.html?_r=0|accessdate=18 January 2018|publisher=New York Times|date=17 January 2018}}</ref>

Revision as of 11:47, 10 May 2018

Immigration and crime in Germany refers to crimes committed against and by immigrants in Germany. Some fear that immigrants commit disproportionate numbers or particular types of crime, or assume that those fears can have significant political impact.

Criminal activity by immigrants

While some studies show a correlation between immigrant populations in Germany and crime,[1] most studies on the subject have shown little correlation between migrants and crime in Germany.[2][3] In May 2016, Politifact deemed Donald Trump's statement that "Germany "is crime-riddled right now" because of migration to Europe" as mostly false.[4] The fact-checker noted that Germany's crime rate, particularly the violent crime rate, is far lower than in the United States, and that data suggest that the crime rate of the average refugee is lower than that of the average German.[4]

However, in April 2017, the crime figures released for 2016 showed that the number of suspected crimes by refugees, asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants increased by 50 percent.[5] The figures showed that most of the suspected crimes were by repeat offenders, and that 1 percent of migrants accounted for 40 percent of total migrant crimes.[5] In 2016 and 2017, reported crimes in Lower Saxony rose by more than 10 percent, an increase "attributed overwhelmingly to cases involving refugees."[6]

The first comprehensive study of the social effects of the one million refugees going to Germany found that it caused "very small increases in crime in particular with respect to drug offenses and fare-dodging."[7][8] A report released by the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation in November 2015 found that over the period January–September 2015, the crime rate of refugees was the same as that of native Germans.[9] According to Deutsche Welle, the report "concluded that the majority of crimes committed by refugees (67 percent) consisted of theft, robbery and fraud. Sex crimes made for less than 1 percent of all crimes committed by refugees, while homicide registered the smallest fraction at 0,1 percent."[9] According to the conservative newspaper Die Welt's description of the report, the most common crime committed by refugees was not paying fares on public transportation.[10] According to Deutsche Welle's reporting in February 2016 of a report by the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation, the number of crimes committed by refugees did not rise in proportion to the number of refugees between 2014-2015.[11] According to Deutsche Welle, "between 2014 and 2015, the number of crimes committed by refugees increased by 79 percent. Over the same period, however, the number of refugees in Germany increased by 440 percent."[11]

A study in the European Economic Review found that the German government's policy of immigration of more than 3 million people of German descent to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a significant increase in crime.[12] The effects were strongest in regions with high unemployment, high preexisting crime levels or large shares of foreigners.[12]

DW reported in 2006 that in Berlin, young male immigrants are three times more likely to commit violent crimes than their German peers.[13] Whereas the Gastarbeiter in the 50s and 60s did not have an elevated crime rate, second- and third-generation of immigrants had significantly higher crime rates.[14]

By region

For example, Hamburg police reported criminal proceedings being opened against 38,000 people in the first six months of 2016, of which 16,600 persons or 43% of the defendants had no German papers. This represents a rise from 41% of defendants without German papers in 2015.[15] The number of foreign criminals increased by 16.7% over 2015; 9.5% of the suspects were refugees. The figures did not include crimes against the German alien law. Foreign crime gangs were named as one reason for the rising figures. Refugees committed mostly pickpocketing, representing 30.6% of all suspects. 27.5% of suspects in drug dealing also arrived as refugees. Another common crime committed by refugees was bodily injury, with 1,014 cases reported, mostly in the asylum centers.[15]

On 5 December 2016, the Interior Minister of Saxony, Markus Ulbig, released figures about foreign criminals in his state from January to September. A large proportion of them came from North Africa; 664 North Africans were responsible for 36% of all 14,043 crimes committed by immigrants.[16] By the end of October 2016, 31,000 asylum seekers resided in Saxony.[17] In total, in Saxony 7,579 immigrants were perpetrators, counting only solved cases. 5,288 of the crimes were theft and robbery; 2,214 were bodily injury; and 169 were sexual assaults, representing a rise from 25 recorded cases in 2013. 46% of all immigrants who came from the Maghreb states went on to commit crimes in the state.[16]

Blade weapon crimes

In addition to stabbing attacks inspired by Islamism, concern has focused on crimes committed with blade weapons by recent immigrants. These include the 2017 Kandel stabbing attack, Reutlingen knife attack, 2018 Hamburg stabbing attack, 2018 Burgwedel stabbing, a 17-year old girls stabbed to death in Flensburg by an Afghan unaccompanied minor[18] and many others.[19][20][21][22]

Crimes against immigrants

There were 797 attacks against residences of refugees or migrants from January to October 2016, according to data collected by the German Federal Criminal Office. 740 attacks had a right-wing background, which also couldn't be ruled out in 57 further cases. Of these, 320 cases of property damage were recorded, in 180 cases propaganda material was dispersed and in 137 cases violence was used. In addition, 61 incidents of arson as well as 10 violations of the Explosives Law, 4 of them in front of a residence of refugees, were registered. According to Der Tagesspiegel, there were also 11 cases of attempted murder or homicide. In 2015, there had been 1,029 attacks against refugee residences, following 199 in 2014.[23]

Political impact

According to criminologist Simon Cottee, sociologist Stanley Cohen analyzed fear of immigrant crime among Germans and other contemporary Europeans in the 1960s as a form of moral panic.[24]

Four violent crimes committed during the week of 18 July 2016–three of them, the Reutlingen knife attack, 2016 Ansbach bombing, Würzburg train attack, were committed by asylum seekers–created significant political pressure for changes in the Angela Merkel administration policy of welcoming refugees.[25] The Wall Street Journal reported that two notorious crimes committed by asylum seekers in consecutive weeks in December 2016 had added fuel to debates on immigration and surveillance in Germany.[26] The 2017 Kandel stabbing attack, in which a migrant who had been denied refugee status but who had not been deported killed his 16-year-old girlfriend, intensified the discussion about admitting migrants.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Chapin, Wesley D. "Ausländer Raus? The Empirical Relationship between Immigration and Crime in Germany." Social Science Quarterly 78, no. 2 (1997): 543-58. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42864353.
  2. ^ Horn, Heather (27 April 2016). "Where Does Fear of Refugees Come From?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Report: refugees have not increased crime rate in Germany". Deutsche Welle. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Donald Trump says Germany now riddled with crime thanks to refugees". @politifact. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  5. ^ a b https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/25/migrant-crime-germany-rises-50-per-cent-new-figures-show/
  6. ^ a b Benhold, Katrin (17 January 2018). "A Girl's Killing Puts Germany's Migration Policy on Trial". New York Times. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  7. ^ Mohdin, Aamna. "What effect did the record influx of refugees have on jobs and crime in Germany? Not much". Quartz. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  8. ^ Gehrsitz, Markus; Ungerer, Martin (2017-01-01). "Jobs, Crime, and Votes: A Short-Run Evaluation of the Refugee Crisis in Germany". Rochester, NY. SSRN 2903116. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ a b (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "Report: refugees have not increased crime rate in Germany | News | DW.COM | 13.11.2015". DW.COM. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  10. ^ 13.11.15 Straftaten "im sehr niedrigen sechsstelligen Bereich", Die Welt, https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article148812603/Straftaten-im-sehr-niedrigen-sechsstelligen-Bereich.html
  11. ^ a b (www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. "Report: Refugee-related crimes in Germany increase less than influx of asylum seekers | NRS-Import | DW.COM | 17.02.2016". DW.COM. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  12. ^ a b Piopiunik, Marc; Ruhose, Jens. "Immigration, regional conditions, and crime: evidence from an allocation policy in Germany". European Economic Review. doi:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2016.12.004.
  13. ^ "Identifying the Roots of Immigrant Crime". DW.COM.
  14. ^ Dünkel, Frieder. "Migration and ethnic minorities in Germany: impacts on youth crime, juvenile justice and youth imprisonment" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ a b "Ausländer-Kriminalität in Hamburg: Die Zahlen der Polizei" [Foreign crime in Hamburg: The figures of the police]. Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). 21 September 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  16. ^ a b "169 Sexual-Straftaten durch Zuwanderer!" [169 Sexual offenses by immigrants!]. Bild.de (in German). 5 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Innenminister Ulbig stellt "Lagebericht Asyl und Kriminalitätsentwicklung Zuwanderer" vor" [Minister of the Interior Ulbig presents 'Situation Report on Asylum and the Development of Crime Migrants']. Sächsische Zeitung (in German). 5 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  18. ^ WELT (2018-03-14). "Flensburg: 17-Jährige erstochen – Tatverdächtiger aus Afghanistan". DIE WELT. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
  19. ^ String of knife attacks further fuels debate over refugees and violence, The Local, 27 March 2018
  20. ^ S. SIEVERING (26 March 2018). "BLOODY WEEKEND: knife attacks throughout Germany". Bild (in German). Retrieved 15 April 2018. More and more knife attacks in Germany. BILD documents what happened this weekend alone.
  21. ^ "24-YEAR-OLD STABBED BY TEENAGERS: THE VICTIM". Tag 24 (in German). 29 March 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018. The deed has triggered a political debate on juvenile delinquency and the integration of refugees.
  22. ^ "Youth knifing spate alarms German police unions". Deutshe Welle. 2 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  23. ^ BKA zählt fast 800 Angriffe auf Flüchtlingsunterkünfte, Die Zeit, 19 October 2016, in German
  24. ^ Cottee, Stanley (13 October 2015). "Europe's moral panic about the migrant Muslim 'other'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  25. ^ "German Refugee Policy Under Fire After a Week of Bloodshed". The New York Times. Associated Press. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  26. ^ ANTON TROIANOVSKI. "New Berlin Crime Adds Fuel to German Debate Over Surveillance and Immigration". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 December 2016. A week after a deadly terror attack at a Christmas market, another crime in the German capital is feeding a debate over how the country balances security and civil liberties. [...] By Tuesday, the suspects in the case had been detained. They were asylum seekers—six from Syria and one from Libya, according to police.
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