Federal Police Hanover: Fewer criminal offenses, more attacks on officials
The Hanover Federal Police Directorate recorded significantly fewer crimes in 2020 than in the previous year. Especially at Langenhagen Airport, the numbers fell massively. At the same time, the federal investigators went online more wanted people. The reason in both cases was the corona pandemic. Contrary to the direction trend, however, resistance crimes and attacks on investigators at Hanover Central Station have increased.
In 2019, the Federal Police Directorate in Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg recorded 46,803 crimes, last year there were only 40,531. “That is a decrease of 13.4 percent,” says management spokesman Thomas Gerbert. The clearance rate remained practically unchanged at 74.3 percent. The number of violent and brutal offenses such as bodily harm fell in 2020 by 10 percent to 3,211 offenses (2019: 3,572).
Pickpockets: a rapid 40 percent decline
Areas of application are the airports of the three federal states, seaports, the border with the Netherlands, around 560 train stations and stops as well as 4900 kilometers by rail. The theft of bags and luggage was even reduced by 37.6 percent. “While there were still 3,144 such crimes at stations and on trains in 2019, only 1962 were counted in 2020,” says Gerbert. This is due to fewer travelers due to Corona restrictions, but also “to the increased deployment of pickpockets in the main train stations in Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen”.
At Hanover Airport, there were only half as many criminal offenses due to Corona: The value fell from 1907 to 882 offenses (-53.7 percent). In addition, significantly fewer prohibited items such as knives or pepper spray were discovered: 8,662 instead of 32,108 previously (-73 percent). “There were just a lot fewer flights,” says Gerbert. Unauthorized entries fell to 67 (2019: 138), the counterpart to 168 (492). In the Hanover inspection, which also includes the state capital’s main train station, there were only 9024 crimes (-8.9 percent). Pickpockets even fell by 24.3 percent to 418, and general thefts to 1674 (-19.3 percent).
Successful searches through corona controls
In return, the search successes increased – among other things because the officials carried out more Corona border controls. The federal police achieved 20,469 so-called wanted persons across the board (+5.2 percent). Gerbert: “In particular, suspected or already convicted criminals could be identified with 1533 arrest warrants.”
More attacks by mask refusers
Elsewhere, too, Hanover is not following the trend: resistance to police officers. While these fell from 295 to 262 at the directorate level, the Hanover inspection recorded an increase of 20 percent (79 acts). Physical attacks increased by the same amount to 48 incidents. According to spokesman Kevin Müller, both are also a corona episode: “There is a lot involved, for example conversations with mask refusers have degenerated.” Vice-President Michael Schuol also says that the general decline was probably not permanent. “We are looking very carefully at the development of violent crimes, which have risen again after the pandemic.”
From Peer Hellerling