Crime Rates Decline in Germany, but Violence and Attacks on First Responders Rise

Brandenburg and Rheinland-Pfalz report fewer overall crimes in 2024, yet increases in violent offenses and assaults on police and rescue workers raise concerns.

Brandenburg recorded a 5.2% decrease in overall crimes in 2024, with 176,641 cases, while the police achieved an 18-year high clearance rate of 58.4%.
Rheinland-Pfalz saw a 6.5% drop in crime, reaching the lowest level since 1994 when excluding pandemic years, with a clearance rate of 64.3%.
Despite the overall decline, violent crimes such as bodily harm and crimes against life, including murder and manslaughter, increased in both states.
Assaults on police officers rose by 9.8% in Brandenburg, with 1,492 reported cases, and attacks on rescue workers surged by 50%, from 48 to 72 incidents.
Officials expressed concern over these trends, with Brandenburg's Interior Minister Katrin Lange condemning the rise in violence as unacceptable and deeply troubling.