The Department of State assesses a “Low-Medium” rating for criminal activity in all German cities in which a U.S. diplomatic presence exists. Crime rates are comparable to those in most first-world countries, including the United States, and comparative analysis (All statistics crime data herein comes from the 2011 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “Uniform Crime Reports” of crime data for the United States and Germany reveals only marginal differences: In 2011, violent crime affected an estimated 0.39 percent of the U.S. population and an estimated 0.24 percent of Germany’s population; theft-related crimes affected an estimated 2.9 percent of the U.S. population, compared to an estimated 3.0 percent of Germany’s population.
Germany experienced an overall increase of 1.0 percent in the total number of crimes reported from 2010 to 2011.
According to the 2011 BKA report, theft remains the predominate criminal offense throughout Germany, representing more than 40 percent of all recorded cases. The most common thefts, in rank order, are: shoplifting (385,462), theft of bicycles (328,748), thefts from vehicles (242,563), theft of non-cash means of payment (140,628), home burglaries (132,595), and motor vehicle thefts (41,057).
Violent crime fell by 2.1 percent from 2010 to 2011, with small but statistically significant decreases in the number of recorded cases involving physical assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, and murders/manslaughters.
Non-violent crimes, including frauds, corruption, and environmental offenses experienced modest declines from 2010 levels, while cases involving drug use witnessed slight increases in 2011. Of particular note is the substantial decrease in the number of reported cases involving the fraudulent use of payment cards (-15.9 percent) and a marked reduction in heroin offenses (-24.4 percent). There was, however, a significant increase in amphetamine and methamphetamine offenses (+19.9 percent).
Germany experienced an overall increase of 1.0 percent in the total number of crimes reported from 2010 to 2011.
According to the 2011 BKA report, theft remains the predominate criminal offense throughout Germany, representing more than 40 percent of all recorded cases. The most common thefts, in rank order, are: shoplifting (385,462), theft of bicycles (328,748), thefts from vehicles (242,563), theft of non-cash means of payment (140,628), home burglaries (132,595), and motor vehicle thefts (41,057).
Violent crime fell by 2.1 percent from 2010 to 2011, with small but statistically significant decreases in the number of recorded cases involving physical assaults, robberies, sexual assaults, and murders/manslaughters.
Non-violent crimes, including frauds, corruption, and environmental offenses experienced modest declines from 2010 levels, while cases involving drug use witnessed slight increases in 2011. Of particular note is the substantial decrease in the number of reported cases involving the fraudulent use of payment cards (-15.9 percent) and a marked reduction in heroin offenses (-24.4 percent). There was, however, a significant increase in amphetamine and methamphetamine offenses (+19.9 percent).