Juvenile crime in Kiel: An alarm signal for our society!

Juvenile crime in Kiel: An alarm signal for our society!

Youth crime in Kiel is increasingly causing worried faces in the city. The numbers have been rising for years - a trend that will continue in 2024 with record numbers among 14 to 21 year olds, reports kn online. This year, more young people committed crimes than ten years ago, which makes the situation in socially disadvantaged areas such as Gaarden and Mettenhof seem particularly dramatic. Here, more than one in ten young people commit a crime at least once a year, while the number of physical injuries among young people is increasing alarmingly.

Amid these disturbing statistics, discussion about the causes and possible solutions to the problem often remains on the surface. How the Greens in Kiel emphasize, there is an urgent need for action on the part of urban society. Christian Osbar, child and youth policy spokesman for the council group, emphasizes how important detailed reporting from the youth welfare office is in order to be able to better assess the situation. He warns against distorting the image of the young generation through challenging individual cases and calls for targeted cooperation between school social work, the police and youth welfare services.

Social challenges and solutions

The current figures not only reflect individual undesirable developments, but are also an expression of broader social and societal problems in Kiel. So far, other topics have been given greater weight in the political discourse, while juvenile crime remains too low in the focus of local politics. Political actors are called upon to take action here and to correctly interpret the signs of the times in order to counteract populist statements about the neglect of young people.

Context also means the nationwide situation: youth violence across Germany reached a peak in 2024 with around 13,800 cases. This value is more than twice as high as in 2016, and the Federal Criminal Police Office attributes the increasing numbers to psychological stress caused by the Corona measures as well as risk factors for those seeking protection, such as Statista explained. The proportion of male young suspects is particularly high at almost three quarters, which should not go unnoticed in the discussion about causes and preventative measures.

Another aspect is the increase in justified convictions of juveniles, especially when the possible juvenile sentences are more than one year. However, in many cases, young offenders are only recorded as one offence, which may not even begin to reflect the actual situation. Greater prevention through child and youth welfare is urgently required in order to prevent criminal careers at an early stage.

The developments surrounding youth crime in Kiel are a wake-up call to urban society. A solidarity between politics, police and social institutions could be the key to getting to grips with the challenges and ensuring positive development for the future generation.