Crime in Hamburg: decline, but remain knife and firearm problems!

Crime in Hamburg: decline, but remain knife and firearm problems!

Hamburg, Deutschland - Hamburg experiences a decline in crime, but the worries remain! In the first nine months of 2024, the police recorded a decline in crimes by 3.2 percent compared to the previous year. But the positive development slowed down in the third quarter. While a decline of almost 5 percent was reported in the first half of the year, the crime had increased by alarming 11 percent throughout 2023.

The decline in murder and homicide is particularly gratifying: the number fell from 52 to 33 cases, which corresponds to a decline of over 36 percent. But not everything is rosy! The police report an increase in crimes with firearms. The number of these incidents rose by 44 cases, which corresponds to an increase of over 22 percent. However, police spokeswoman Sandra Levgrün emphasizes that in two thirds of the cases it was not shot for humans. A quarter of the firearms occurred on New Year's Eve 2023/24.

The threat from knife power

The knife power remains a serious problem! In the first nine months, the number of knife rose by 0.7 percent compared to the previous year, although a decline of over 4 percent was determined in the first half of the year. Police President Falk Schnabel commented and welcomed the intensification of the gun law, which has been in place since October 31. The ban on weapons - including knives - at folk festivals or sporting events, is intended to increase security. The police are planning to use these new control powers in particular on the Christmas markets.