13-year-olds steal cars and curves through Vienna-police strike!

13-year-olds steal cars and curves through Vienna-police strike!

On Sunday, March 23, 2025, two 13-year-olds caused excitement at the Währinger belt in Vienna. A police operation was triggered around 5 p.m. after officials noticed a vehicle that drove through the streets in a risky manner. Surprisingly, the drivers were two young people who come from Syria and are in the care of childcare facilities.

The stolen car only stopped when a backlog made it impossible to continue. After initial investigations, it turned out that the two guys had broken into an office in Floridsdorf to steal the car keys. In a parking lot they tested which car they could drive with the stolen keys, and finally stole the vehicle.

youth crime in context

How the bpb.de is an extensive and often misunderstood phenomenon. It is mostly male and not limited to certain minority groups. The majority of the young people who become delinquent takes off their criminal behavior during their development. Even if a significant percentage of students have already become a criminal offense, severe forms of crime are relatively rare.

statistics show that up to 70% of young people have committed at least once in the past 12 months. It is particularly worrying that juvenile delinquency in recent years has been greatly below the influence of Covid 19 pandemic, which has caused a decline in the numbers. Nevertheless, the topic remains exciting and controversial, since more frequent perpetrators can be explained by social and economic factors.

integration and prevention

The vienna.at also raised questions about integration and social prerequisites. Young people with a migration background are overrepresented both as a perpetrator and as a victim of crimes. This makes it clear that social support and integration measures are of great importance to effectively reduce youth crime.

According to the Duisburg longitudinal study, a large part of the young people, especially boys, committed crimes at least once. The prevalence of violent offenses is high, but as a rule they are less serious offenses. It is all the more important to develop preventive measures that respond to the specific needs of these groups.

Overall, it should be noted that extraordinary incidents such as the one on the Währinger belt revive the discussion about youth crime, their causes and the need for integration and prevention. The return of the two 13-year-olds to their care facilities could be considered the first step in the right direction.