Crime is falling, but Rhineland-Palatinate residents feel unsafe!

Crime is falling, but Rhineland-Palatinate residents feel unsafe!

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the lowest crime rates in three decades are currently recorded, but uncertainty among citizens remains high. Even if the police crime statistics show a positive development, many people feel anything but safe, especially in parks and at bus stops. For example, Isabell Gebhardt reports that she now only goes to the park with someone accompanied, while Sengül Daboh's daughter takes detours to avoid groups of young people. Dieter Findt also feels a general sense of insecurity, although he himself has never been harassed. This shows that a feeling of security is often loosely linked to the actual crime situation, as criminologist Nicole Bögelein explains. “The feeling of insecurity often has little to do with real threats,” she explains, pointing to the increasing influence of social factors and changing consciousness.

In cities like Kaiserslautern, there has been an increased police presence since a mass brawl two years ago, which is accompanied by a strict ban on alcohol and drugs. Mayor Manfred Schulz from the CDU is actively involved in the discussion and calls for more options for municipalities to take action, especially to address problems below the criminal law threshold. Schulz would also like to see an expansion of video surveillance, but encounters reservations from Interior Minister Michael Ebling (SPD), who points to the failed projects of the past. Instead, Bögelein advocates investing more in social work and leisure activities for young people in order to sustainably improve the security situation.

The feeling of security in Germany

The discrepancy between crime rates and subjective feelings of security is evident not only in Rhineland-Palatinate, but also nationwide. According to a study by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), social fear of crime has increased in recent years. In 2023, 38% of respondents were worried about crime. In 2000 it was 54%, in 2013 it was only 31%. The increasing fear can sometimes be positively correlated with the crime rate, but there are also phases in which these two factors go in opposite directions. For example, a rise in fear after 2014 coincided with social changes such as refugee immigration in 2015/2016. While street crime has fallen since the turn of the millennium, violent crime has shown a moderate increase in recent years.

An analysis also shows that there are regional differences in the perception of security. In general, people in the south of Germany feel safer than in the north, which may also be related to the different levels of crime. Subjective perception also varies greatly depending on demographic and socio-economic characteristics. (The DIW provides further details on this in a detailed report on this topic, which they published here: DIW reports on the feeling of security in Germany.)

Overall, it can be seen that despite the reduced crime figures in Rhineland-Palatinate, many people's sense of security continues to be severely impaired. Dealing with this uncertainty and designing security measures will remain a central topic in the coming days. If you want to find out more about safety in our inner cities, you should watch the program “How safe are our inner cities?” tonight at 8:15 p.m. not to be missed on SWR.

With that in mind, stay safe! Further information on the positive development of crime rates in Rhineland-Palatinate can be found on the website of Haus und Grund Rhineland-Palatinate.