Crime Statistics: Youth Violence at Record Levels – More Children as Perpetrators
2. April 2025
WIESBADEN. Violence among children and adolescents has risen again in 2024, reaching alarming record levels. This is according to the Police Crime Statistics published today. According to the statistics, the police recorded an increase primarily in suspected child offenders, i.e. those under 14 years of age. The increasing willingness of children and adolescents to use violence is also a problem that school administrators have been observing for some time, placing an increasing burden on teachers.
According to the Police Crime Statistics, violent crime among minors has increased significantly. Symbolic photo: Shutterstock/neotemlpars
According to the Police Crime Statistics (PKS), the police identified 13,755 children as suspects in connection with violent crimes in 2024. This was 11.3 percent more than in the previous year. Similarly, the number of suspected adolescent offenders increased by 3.8 percent to 31,383. According to the PKS, children accounted for seven percent of all suspects in violent crime, and adolescents accounted for 15.9 percent – also record highs in a long-term comparison.
Psychological Stress as a Risk Factor
In the search for a possible explanation for this development, the crime statistics point to the increase in psychological stress among children and adolescents. "Although psychological stress is not a direct cause of criminal behaviour, it can increase the likelihood of committing (violent) crimes in combination with other unfavourable factors." The PKS names the following as significant risk factors that can also reinforce each other:
- "Economic worries and a lack of opportunities for participation,"
- "Attitudes that accept violence and masculinity norms linked to violent behaviour,"
- "Psychological stress, for example due to concerns about the future in connection with multiple social crises,"
- "Domestic violence or a lack of parental involvement in their children's lives."
"The PKS does not provide an exact reflection of the reality of crime"
However, the Federal Ministry of the Interior urges caution with regard to the informative value of the crime statistics: "The PKS does not provide an exact reflection of the reality of crime, but rather a more or less accurate approximation of reality, depending on the type of offence." Various aspects can influence the development of the figures, such as how often people report a crime or how strongly the police control an area, thereby increasing the likelihood of detecting offences. Similarly, changes in the way the police record offences or changes in criminal law can affect the number of cases, as can actual increases or decreases in crime.
However, the high number of children and adolescents among the suspects in violent crimes also reflects the experience in schools. A recent representative Forsa survey commissioned by the VBE among school administrators in Germany found that physical and psychological violence at their schools had tended to increase in the past five years (News4teachers reported). 60 per cent of those surveyed reported this. In contrast, just four per cent recorded a decrease in violence.
Teachers Insulted, Threatened, Offended, Bullied or Harassed
In most cases, pupils became perpetrators against teachers. For example, physical attacks were carried out by pupils in 97 percent of the cases. In the case of cyberbullying, the school administrators most frequently named pupils as perpetrators in 72 percent of the cases.
"Acts of violence against teachers are not isolated cases," commented Gerhard Brand, Baden-Württemberg State and Federal Head of the VBE, on the results. Many school administrators reported in the survey cases in which teachers were insulted, threatened, offended, bullied or harassed. Almost two thirds of all respondents (65 percent) could remember a corresponding case in the past five years. At more than one in three schools, teachers were threatened via the Internet (36 percent) or even physically attacked (35 percent). These are similar figures to a survey in 2022. The figures were significantly lower in 2018.
Regular Border Crossing
"The social climate has become noticeably rougher in recent years, which is also reflected in schools," says Brand. The data confirms what many teachers and school administrators have repeatedly stated: Social interaction is breaking down, the ability to empathise among children and parents has declined, conflicts escalate more frequently and more quickly. "We are observing that respect for school authorities is decreasing and that boundaries are regularly crossed," said the trade union leader.
Promises had been heard from politicians that the issue would be taken seriously and made a top priority. "If politicians really treated it that way, then they have failed across the board," Brand criticises. He called on the Ministries of Education to record the incidents in the first place - and to better support the teachers affected. News4teachers / with material from dpa
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Summary
- Youth violence is on the rise, creating an urgent need for safer learning environments.
- Traditional schooling isn't always equipped to address the root causes of this issue.
- BlitzFast offers a flexible, safe, and future-focused alternative to traditional education.
- BlitzFast combines the German curriculum with practical skills such as entrepreneurship, AI, and digital literacy.
- Join our newsletter to become part of our exclusive test group and help shape the future of education. https://blitzfa.st