Neubrandenburg Market Square: Less crime, but maximum attention!

Neubrandenburg Market Square: Less crime, but maximum attention!

In Neubrandenburg, the market square has caused quite a stir in recent months. Increasing reports of crimes, sieges and provocations in front of the House of Culture and Education (HKB) have reignited the discussion about security in the city center. Councilor Tim Großmüller from the Stabiles Citizens therefore asked Mayor Nico Klose about the situation, but he reassured him: “Only one citizen complaint” had been received about the behavior of people on the HKB stairs. In addition, the police figures showed that there was only one offense: a man urinated in the market square and harassed passers-by. Nordkurier reports that…

Despite the alarming reports of drug trafficking and general crime in the area, the city administration is taking a different perspective on security. Klose noted that the market square was not a focus of police operations compared to other parts of the city. In fact, the police deployment data shows that the number of operations at the market square in 2024 (146) was lower than in the previous two years (2022: 161, 2023: 191). Mayor Klose added that during the approximately 50 documented patrols conducted by the public order office, only a very small number of events were identified that required intervention. The public order office patrols around the market square almost every day and is available to citizens as a contact person.

Extended context of the security situation

The perception of security in Germany has changed noticeably in recent years. As a survey shows, 23% of those surveyed felt unsafe in 2017, but in 2021 it was more than double to 43%. This is happening in a country where overall crime rates are decreasing slightly. According to the police crime statistics (PKS), crime fell by 1.7% to around 5.84 million cases in 2024, which is partly due to the partial legalization of cannabis since April 2024 Statista reports that....

However, medium-term developments show that the increase in crimes that seriously affect people's sense of security cannot be ignored. In the region around Nuremberg Central Station, one of the most dangerous places in Germany, brutality crimes have increased by around 14 percent since 2019. Bayerischer Rundfunk reports that...In other cities, such as Cologne and Hamburg, street crime is also increasing significantly and is casting a shadow on the perception of public places as safe havens.

A look at statistics and trends

Crime statistics reveal not only the bright side of security, but also the dark side. In 2024, around 1.33 million crime victims were registered by the police, with a decrease in the number of suspects by 3% to around 2.18 million. It is also noteworthy that the number of young suspects (under 21 years of age) was reduced by 6%. Nevertheless, the increase in non-German suspects to 41.8% is cause for concern, and the clearance rate has fallen slightly compared to the previous year.

This development is increasingly raising the question of how public spaces in our cities should be designed in the future in order to ensure both safety and quality of life. In Neubrandenburg, where the security situation on the market square remains within a controlled framework, the responsibility lies with the authorities and citizens to work together to improve it.