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Search successful: escaped criminal caught in Velbert!
On June 23, 2025, an escaped criminal was caught in Velbert after the police launched a public search.
Search successful: escaped criminal caught in Velbert!
On June 16th, an explosive incident occurred in the Westhoven district of Cologne: a 38-year-old criminal who was in prison escaped from a clinic during an accompanied release. Immediately after his disappearance, the police were called in and launched a large-scale manhunt for the man, who was considered dangerous and unpredictable. During this hectic phase, not only civilian investigators, but also sniffer dogs and a helicopter were used to find the wanted man. Unfortunately without success, which further inflamed the situation. Public warnings and information were issued to the public to catch him as quickly as possible. The police strongly advised against conducting their own searches.
On the afternoon of June 23rd, around 3:15 p.m., relief was finally reported when the offender was discovered on a park bench in Velbert. Thanks to a tip from a witness, the civil investigators managed to bring him back to the clinic in Cologne without resistance. Fortunately, the employee accompanying him was uninjured during his escape, and so this incident ended lightly with the man being locked up behind bars again. DerWesten reports on this incident and the rapid measures taken by the police.
Focus on crime in North Rhine-Westphalia
In a broader context, these events are seen in the light of the current police crime statistics for North Rhine-Westphalia, which report a 1% decrease in crime for 2024. With a total of 1,398,652 crimes recorded, the clearance rate is 53.5%, which is a relief for citizens. Particularly noteworthy is the decline in the areas of robbery (-7.3%) and theft overall (-1.3%), while at the same time the number of residential burglaries increased by 5.2%. Physical injuries (+1.7%) and cybercrime (+7.8%) also increased. State of North Rhine-Westphalia provides more detailed information on the various crimes here.
The 20% increase in knife violence in particular shows that, despite a general decline in other areas, a closer look is necessary. With over 7,200 cases of knife attacks, measures to combat this specific form of violence, such as weapon ban zones and individual bans on carrying weapons, must be urgently implemented. Even though violent crime has fallen by 0.4% overall and the number of cases of murder and manslaughter appears relatively stable, the situation remains tense. [North Rhine-Westphalia Police](https://polizei.nrw/artikel/polizeiliche- criminal statistics) highlights the challenge of combating the dark field, i.e. the crimes that go unreported.
Given these figures, it is more important than ever that both the police and the community work together to improve safety and address the rise in certain types of crime. The events of the last few days are an impressive example of how quickly a situation can escalate and how important it is to act quickly in such situations.