Violence and knife attacks: Dortmund in the spell of crime!

Violence and knife attacks: Dortmund in the spell of crime!

On January 23, 2025, the federal police in Dortmund Central Station was alerted in a regional train (RE11) due to a threatening incident. Around 7:30 p.m., the Deutsche Bahn emergency control center informed the security forces about a man who led a large knife with a blade length of over 20 cm. When the federal police entered the train, they met a 59-year-old police-known man from Hamm, who held the kitchen knife in his hand and repeatedly ram into a table. There was a quick effort in which the officials brought the man to the ground and fixed him with handcuffs.

The danger could be banned quickly, and the knife remained unattended on the table. It was ensured and included as evidence in the investigation. The arrested person made use of his right to refuse to testify and was brought to the Federal Police Guard, where he was found by a non -assigned monetary card. Fortunately, there were no injuries in the incident, and the 59-year-old was released from the junicles after completing the measures. He is now being investigated for property damage and violation of the Weapons Act, whereby video recordings were also requested from the train to better clarify the incident.

connection with other incidents

Last week there were several violent incidents in Dortmund, which draw a worrying picture. On the evening of January 20, a 19-year-old man was seriously injured on the Xi’an square, in the immediate vicinity of Dortmund's main train station. During the incident, an unknown perpetrator stabbed the victim several times with a pointed object before he fled in an unknown direction. The injured young man was immediately taken to the hospital. In this context, the police have set up a murder commission to determine the background of the crime and track down the perpetrator.

Another violent incident occurred only a day earlier, on January 19, when an attempted robbery occurred on a kiosk in which the perpetrator stabbed the owner several times in the face and arm. Such incidents raise questions regarding the security situation in Dortmund and nationwide crime.

crisis of violent crime in Germany

In the context of this increasing violent crime, the police crime statistics 2023 find alarming trends. In April 2024, during the presentation of statistics by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser, an increase in violent crime was recorded by 8.6 percent compared to the previous year. A total of more than 5.94 million crimes were registered, which corresponds to an increase of 5.5 percent.

The increase in non -German suspects, which rose by 13.5 percent, is particularly noticeable. An increase of 9.5 percent in young people is also recorded in suspects. Faeser emphasizes the need to implement faster procedures and consistent convictions in order to combat the increase in violence.

The federal government also recognizes the social causes of increasing crime. Factors such as increasing mobility and economic stress, in particular through inflation, are identified as driving forces for violent acts. This is considered more critically, especially with regard to children and adolescents who suffer from increased psychological stress as a result of the corona measures, which can increase their susceptibility to crimes.