Young people committing acts of violence in the Black Forest: Police are looking for witnesses!

In the period from December 28th to 31st, 2024, several violent crimes occurred in VS-Schwenningen, a town in the Schwarzwald-Baar district. These incidents occurred in the context of an increased incidence of juvenile crime in the region. A report from news.de highlights that a group of young men, including two aged 15 and 17 and an 18-year-old, were involved in the crimes.

The crimes committed include two grievous bodily harm and one aggravated robbery. The first assault was against an 18-year-old man who was attacked with pepper spray and a knife and suffered minor injuries. In the second assault, a 50-year-old man was beaten several times by the perpetrators. The police were subsequently able to arrest one of the perpetrators near the crime scene.

Details on robbery and juvenile crime

On New Year's Eve, at 8 p.m., a 24-year-old man was the victim of a robbery in which an 18-year-old perpetrator and an unknown person approached him, beat him and stole his wallet. The perpetrators fled when a witness arrived, but the police were able to temporarily arrest a suspect and seize the stolen wallet. The perpetrators act as a gang, but they were not always present together at every crime.

The Villingen criminal police have started the investigation and are asking for information on 07721 / 6010. In addition to these incidents, another source shows, schwarzwaelder-bote.de that juvenile crime is increasing overall in the region. Theft, assault and other crimes among children and young people in particular have increased.

Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann's call for a review of criminal responsibility shows that the increasing numbers of young people suspected of crimes, especially with an increase of around 8% in 2023, are seen as worrying. Criminological analyzes examine the causes, including socioeconomic factors and the consequences of the corona pandemic. In the Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis region there has been a slight decline in the number of children suspected of committing crimes, but the number of young people committing crimes is increasing, which is fueling the discussion about suitable prevention measures.