Scary increase in knife attacks among children in Berlin!

Scary increase in knife attacks among children in Berlin!

A worrying incident at a Berlin primary school again gives a highlight to the willingness to use violence among children and adolescents. On May 23, 2025, a 13-year-old student attacked a 12-year-old classmate with a stabbing weapon and then fled. This is just one of many cases that alerts the police and the public. Police President Barbara Slovik Meisel expressed her personal concern about the increase in such violent deeds among young people, a trend that has been observed for years. According to Tagesspiegel playing weapons, especially knives.

The numbers are alarming: in Berlin in 2023 a total of 3,482 crimes with knives were registered, about half of which were threats. It is particularly frightening that 30% of the perpetrators are under 21 years old. Many of the suspects are under 18, and children under the age of 14 are also among the registered perpetrators. The interior senator Iris Spranger emphasizes the need for prevention measures, especially for parents' houses to prevent "socialization to crime".

social influences and prevention measures

Crime among young people is often viewed as a social phenomenon that has deeper social roots. According to BPB , it can be seen that juvenile delinquency is not a phenomenon of social minorities. Instead, there are many young people who become unpunished with increasing age. Statistics show that up to 70% of the pupils stated that they have become delinquent within last year. In a survey from 2007/2008, 43.7% of the male and 23.6% of female students reported crimes.

The prevalence of violent crimes among young people has decreased in recent years, but more serious offenses are still a serious problem. The willingness to use violence among boys in particular is high; A Duisburg study shows that 84% of boys and 69% of girls from 13 to 18 years became delinquent at least once. In order to counteract these trends, prevention projects such as "Messer make murderers" have been created that aim to keep young people from acting.

The influence of Covid-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic has additionally encouraged the decline in youth crime by restricting many young people in their leisure activities and social interaction. Nevertheless, the current data show that the load figures for young people are still higher than that for adults. These circumstances make it clear that preventive measures are urgently needed to free the young people from a vicious circle of crime and violence.

Overall, there is an impression that youth crime is strongly shaped by social factors and individual influences. In order to make positive changes, preventive social support and integration work is considered centrally. This is the only way to reduce the risk of youth crime and create a safe space for the development of children and adolescents.