The following figures and information reflect the objective crime trend. According to these figures, the number of cases rose slightly last year. The total number of crimes rose slightly compared to 2022 (+0.3% or 161 cases). 54,572 registered crimes with an increased clearance rate of 53.17% (+1.17%) were recorded in the area of responsibility of the Recklinghausen police department. "In a nationwide comparison, however, people in my area of responsibility are less likely to become victims of crime than elsewhere, as has been the case for many years. It is important to us that this is reflected in the population's sense of security. This goal is therefore also firmly anchored in the current security program," said Police Commissioner Friederike Zurhausen.
With a newly launched "Flex" presence concept to combat street crime, we will be able to react quickly and appropriately to current incidents in the municipalities in the area of responsibility. This approach already proved its worth last year following the riots in Castrop-Rauxel.
Residential burglaries:
"There are areas that concern and worry me," says Zurhausen. "These include the rising number of domestic burglaries.
Traveling perpetrators, often from poorer countries, inflation and the economic crisis can be reasons, but not an excuse for more burglaries."
As with the nationwide trend, the number of domestic burglaries has also risen in the Recklinghausen Police Department's area of responsibility. In addition to the damage caused by the burglary and missing valuables, burglaries often also cause psychological damage to those affected. "There was a stranger in my home - taking my things. This leaves many victims with a trauma that often lasts a long time, sometimes for years."
The police continue to investigate consistently, burglary prevention and attentive neighbors are also necessary to stop burglars.
"Don't create any incentives, secure windows and doors and report anything suspicious in your neighborhood to the police," advises Zurhausen.
Knives:
It is also striking that knives are being shown more often or used against other people.
"A harmless argument can escalate to such an extent with a knife that it ends fatally. People need to get this into their heads," says Friederike Zurhausen.
310 knives were used or displayed against people in criminal offenses, which is 124 more cases than in the previous year. This corresponds to an increase of almost 67 percent. Since 2019, criminal acts involving a knife have been recorded in the police crime statistics.
"A knife does not belong in your pocket like a key or a cell phone! Even carrying a knife in public can be a criminal offense or an administrative offense," says the head of the authorities.
"With the "Flex" presence concept, we can increase the control pressure and consistently punish violations of the law on the streets. This is done with the aim of ensuring that fewer knives are carried in public," says Friederike Zurhausen, explaining the measures.
"It is alarming that in a third of cases, knives are used or held against people by children, young people and adolescents. That's why we go into schools as a preventative measure and use the opportunity to talk to pupils about the topic," explains Jürgen Häusler, Head of Criminal Investigation.
Pickpocketing:
The number of pickpocketing cases fortunately fell last year. 180 fewer cases than in 2022. "As the police, we have been pointing out the dangers of pickpockets for years. The police keep their eyes open at weekly markets, fairs and city festivals. These measures seem to have worked last year. But we are still talking about 1,205 thefts in one year," explains Director of Criminal Investigation Häusler. "In addition, the detection rate for pickpocketing has been very low for years. The theft is often only noticed during the next payment transaction or at home. By then, however, the perpetrators are long gone," says Häusler.
Non-German suspects
At our police headquarters in Recklinghausen, non-German suspects account for 32.5% of the suspects identified. However, the figures in Recklinghausen police headquarters are lower than the national trend (34.9%). A large proportion of these suspects are young men. As a general rule, young men are more likely to commit crimes than other population groups. Traumatization, different values and a lack of values education are factors that can lead to delinquency.
"Integration is a task and obligation for society as a whole. Everyone must participate in this task. We often come into action when integration has failed," explains Police Commissioner Friederike Zurhausen.
The police headquarters makes a preventative contribution to integration through various dialog formats. At various events, police employees go exactly where they meet non-Germans. This is where conversations are held to promote peaceful and crime-free coexistence.
Dialogue
A prerequisite for many projects and measures is communication. "We have to stay in touch with the population. To this end, we launched a new project last year - the AnsprechBAR. This gives people in my area of responsibility the opportunity to come into direct contact with the police. At the same time, we find out where the "shoe pinches" in our area of responsibility and can take appropriate countermeasures," says the head of the authority. The AnsprechBAR will be continued this year.
This press release only provides a brief overview of the detailed and comprehensive Crime Report 2023. In the report itself, you will find statistics and developments in the individual crime areas - also broken down into the individual towns in the area of responsibility of Recklinghausen Police.
The entire crime report can be found at the bottom of this page.
For questions from media representatives, the Head of the Crime Directorate, Senior Crime Director Jürgen Häusler, will be available by telephone from 11:30 a.m. on the day of publication. Media inquiries will be coordinated by calling 02361 55 1031.