Youth crime explodes: proportion of foreigners breaks all limits!

Youth crime explodes: proportion of foreigners breaks all limits!

Österreich - On April 14, 2025, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) presented alarming statistics on youth crime in Austria. The numbers show a dramatic increase in the registered advertisements against suspects aged 10 to 14 years, which have more than doubled in recent years. With a total of 12,000 ads, a worrying trend is visible that affects not only the security situation, but also the social challenges.

The increase in youth crime goes hand in hand with an increase in the brutality of the deeds. It is particularly striking that 48 percent of young suspects do not have an Austrian passport. Syrian citizens are represented in an alarming number of these foreign perpetrators. Since 2020, the number of Syrian suspects has increased from 150 to around 1,000. Karner therefore demands a stop of the family reunification, since an estimated 90 percent of the Syrian suspects come from these immigration.

Current crime statistics

The total number of ads in Austria rose to more than 534,000 cases in 2024, which corresponds to an increase of 1.2 percent. The clearance rate is 52.9 percent, which is the third highest value of the past ten years. Over 335,000 suspects were determined, 46.8 percent of whom are not Austrians. The most common foreign suspects come from Romania, followed by Germany and Syria. The latter show the strongest increase among foreign suspects with an increase of 30 percent.

In terms of property crimes, housing burglaries are declining, while thefts from cars and machines have increased by 25 percent. Internet crime remains at a high level. The Ministry describes crime statistics as an important instrument for police work.

migration background and crime

A context for discussion about migration and crime becomes clear through the findings of the Federal Center for Political Education. It is pointed out that a small part of the migrants are delinquent, but they are more common with crimes compared to non -migrants. The differences in the crime rate can be explained by factors such as age and gender composition as well as stressful living conditions. Adult migrants who have access to the labor market are usually less important.

Violent crimes among refugees can often be attributed to conflicts in shared accommodation. Another important aspect is the life situation of the migrants, which often come from precarious conditions. Despite a higher probability that young people from migrant families become delinquent, the general tendency of crime among young people, both with and without a migration background, shows a decline.

The entire crime development also has a decisive influence on access to integration options and the labor market. The analyzes show that war refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan generally become less criminal.

Overall, migration is a complex topic that is closely linked to social, economic and individual factors that influence the crime rates. These relationships are also evident in crime statistics, which requires a differentiated view and targeted measures to efficiently counter the challenges.

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