Over 100,000 police officers were victims of crimes in the country last year, according to official statistics
More than 300 police officers in Germany become victims of criminals every day, Bild has reported, citing data provided by the country’s government.
Presenting the latest official statistical data on Wednesday, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser revealed that 117,548 police, rescue and emergency workers in the country were victims of crimes last year. Law enforcement officers were the most affected group, involved in 109,545 incidents.
Offenses ranged from resisting law enforcement and physical assault to attempted murder and manslaughter.
Faeser called the numbers “shocking” and stressed the urgent need to better protect those who put themselves at risk to help others. In 2024, a total of 19,542 officers suffered minor injuries, while 102 were seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.
Among the fatalities was Rouven Laur, a 29-year-old police officer who was stabbed to death on May 31, 2024 at a rally organized by the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa in the city of Mannheim which left several other people wounded. The primary suspect, an Afghan asylum seeker, was detained following the attack.
“Violence on our streets is exploding; women and the elderly live in constant fear of crime, and the threat of terrorism has never been higher,” the outlet quoted the German Police Union’s Federal Chairman Rainer Wendt as saying. “Police forces are attacked thousands of times every day. The state has lost all authority.”
Benjamin Jendro from the GdP police trade union attributed the situation to “political frustration” and contempt toward the state and its institutions.
“In Berlin, a police officer is attacked every hour!” The attacks on police officers are a sign “of the brutalization of society,” Jendro told the outlet. “People are hitting, kicking, and stabbing.”
According to him, last year, for the first time, more foreigners were suspects in Berlin than German citizens. Jendro said that violent offenders come “from all walks of life, all ages, and all demographic groups.”
He warned that many feel encouraged to attack police because the justice system has failed to send a clear message. According to him, tougher sentences are needed to show that this violence will not be tolerated.
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