Youth crime in Buchholz: Gangster on the trail of the judiciary!

A group of young people with a migration background between the ages of 14 and 17 has committed crimes in various communities in the Harburg district since September 2023. The crime scenes were Buchholz, Jesteburg, Asendorf and Hanstedt. The young people threatened their peers to blackmail cash, branded clothing or smartphones. They performed in changing constellations and were involved in numerous crimes, including traffic offenses, thefts, drug offenses and insults from police officers, predatory and threats. Despite conversations with the parents and danger speeches, some of the young people repeatedly noticed.

In August 2024, initial arrests occurred. A 16-year-old was arrested and the Stade public prosecutor accused of robbery and predatory extortion. The adolescent was in custody for three and a half months and was ultimately sentenced to two years of youth penalty. An 18-year-old accomplice was also affected, and was also sentenced to two years in prison for robbery. The punishment was pronounced for him after three weeks. Another 18-year-old received the same punishment after two weeks in the permanent arrest. Chief Prosecutor Johannes Kiers had called for a punishment for the 16-year-old without probation, but was satisfied with the judgments. The convicted young people have to fulfill requirements, otherwise the probation will be revoked. It remains unclear whether these prison terms have a deterrent effect on the youngsters.

youth crime and migration

In this context, it is important to mention that a small part of the migrants becomes punishable, but migrants are more common with crimes than non -migrants. Differences in crime are partly due to age and gender compositions as well as stressful living conditions, such as the Federal Central for Political Education . Adult migrants with access to the labor market is rarely said for criminal complaint. Violent crimes among refugees can be influenced by conflicts in shared accommodation, social isolation and previous experiences of violence, but crime among young people from migrant families shows a declining tendency.

Despite an overrepresentation of migrants under suspect, the frequency of registration is not directly due to a higher crime rate per capita. Differences in crime participation can be explained by different living conditions and social bonds. For theft offenses, migrants from certain countries of origin are affected above average. While male adolescents from immigrant families have an increased risk of violent offenses, violence overall only affects a small minority of migrants. Youth crime among migrants is not limited to specific countries of origin or religious groups.