Robbery at a gas station in Viersen: perpetrator quickly caught!

Robbery at a gas station in Viersen: perpetrator quickly caught!

In Viersen, more precisely in the city center, there was a dramatic robbery on July 9, 2025 at around 7:00 p.m. According to reports from news.de and presseportal.de The incident happened at a gas station on Dülkener Straße. The perpetrator got hold of cash and a bottle of vodka before being followed by an attentive witness as he fled.

The situation quickly escalated and the courageous witness did everything he could to keep track of the rioter. Thanks to his vigilance, the perpetrator was arrested a short time later by a patrol car crew in the area. The gas station employee, who suffered severe shock during the attack, received immediate medical attention and was treated in an ambulance.

Background to robberies in Germany

Robberies are a serious problem in Germany. Such crimes include the violent theft of property. How Statista reported, over 38,000 robbery offenses were recorded by the police in 2022. There is a noticeable trend: in 2022 there were 628 robberies at gas stations, and handbag snatchings also became increasingly prevalent with 1,060 cases. For comparison: The number of robbery-murders has halved in the last 20 years, which indicates a positive trend in solving such crimes.

The clearance rate for robbery crimes is almost 60% and is therefore higher than for residential burglaries. In North Rhine-Westphalia, more than 23,500 residential burglaries were recorded in 2022, which illustrates how important preventive measures by the police and citizens are.

The incident in Viersen is not just an isolated case, but is representative of the challenges that the authorities face when it comes to crime. Fortunately, thanks to the witness's calm actions, the situation was able to come to a quick end before any further injuries occurred. The criminal police have taken over the further processing of the case and will investigate the exact background to the attack in detail.