A new report leaked to the press detailing crime statistics compiled by the federal police has revealed that the number of violent crimes carried out at train stations in Germany skyrocketed in 2022 compared to 2021 and pre-COVID 2019.
The report, called “Violent Crimes at Railway Facilities in 2022,” was leaked to the German news outlet BILD and revealed that the federal police registered a total of 17,099 violent crimes at railway stations across the country in 2022, an increase of 28.4% compared to 2019 and a 38.6% uptick from 2021 when there were far fewer train passengers due to COVID-19.
Foreign nationals, which compose some 13% of the population, were drastically overrepresented in the figures, with records showing that nearly half (47%) of alleged perpetrators did not have a German passport.
The uptick in sexual offenses—sexual assault and rape—is particularly worrying, with security forces registering a total of 1,700 cases last year, an increase of 43% compared to pre-COVID 2019.
Meanwhile, the number of physical injuries that occurred due to assault climbed to 14,000, an increase of 22% compared to numbers recorded during pre-COVID 2019. Instances of pickpocketing and robbery jumped 12% and 31%, respectively, while attacks on police officers increased by 26%.
At the same time, the number of crimes involving knives rose by 45%, while police recorded 5,461 cases of physical threats of violence, a 120% jump. The use of so-called “dangerous tools” climbed by 80.4% compared to 2019.
Lastly, 2022 saw 78 instances—up from 60 in 2019—of travelers intentionally pushed onto the train tracks, 57 of which resulted in travelers suffering injuries. Thirteen people were seriously injured, while one person died as a result of having been purposely pushed onto the tracks.
