Burglary wave in Gelsenkirchen: Four schools affected!

Burglary wave in Gelsenkirchen: Four schools affected!

In Gelsenkirchen, four schools were targeted between the 28th and 29th January 2025. The incidents were found by the police and led to extensive investigations. On Liboriusstraße in Schalke, a splintered glass pane was discovered on an entrance door, which immediately alerted the police. In another case on Grillostraße in Schalke, the entrance doors of a school were damaged. It is still unclear whether the perpetrators actually got into the building.

The slump in Marschallstraße in Bismarck is particularly serious. Here the perpetrators penetrated the school through a fitted window and ransacked roll containers and cupboards. The caretaker last saw on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. after the right. Furthermore, it was found on Adenauerallee in Erle that the perpetrators searched the office rooms of the school canteen and stole keys to a delivery vehicle. The stolen vehicle is a white, electrically driven combo-e cargo with a black inscription. The police made criminal charges in all cases.

Investigations and witness call

A procedure was initiated in each of the incidents to clarify the circumstances of the burglaries. Witnesses are requested to report information on phone numbers 0209 365 8112 or 0209 365 8240. These burglaries follow a worrying trend in North Rhine-Westphalia, where burglary in schools last year accepted significant dimensions. According to newsflash24.de there were a total of 851 drops in schools in North Rhine-Westphalia, which means an increase of more than 11% compared to 756 cases in the previous year.

The increasing burglary numbers are often associated with the digitization process in schools. Perpetrators often target electronic devices that were purchased during corona pandemic. In May 2023, for example, 186 tablets worth over 90,000 euros were stolen from a Bielefeld vocational college Zeit.de .

burglary development and statistics

The statistics show that North Rhine-Westphalia is affected by burglaries, but not to the extent that in some other regions in the country. The burglary figures in 2022 were 23,528, but rose to 27,061 cases in 2023. In the same years, the number of non-German suspects increased from 1,196 to 1,451. The amount of damage rose considerably; In 2023 it was significantly higher with over 1.2 million euros than in previous years Lokalkompass.de .

The investigation into the burglaries in Gelsenkirchen are part of a major problem that affects the security of schools in the region. Such incidents not only endanger the infrastructure, but also the feeling of the security of students and teachers.