New rape stats out of Berlin show increase on New Year’s Eve

Newly released statistics about the incidence of rape during New Year’s Eve six weeks ago in Berlin, show that it is rising not declining as previously claimed. Flashpoints in the German capital for sexual violence are Berlin-Mitte, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg and Neukölln. Other acts of violence are also on the increase.

Responding to questions from journalists, the Berlin police have so far maintained that there were only 13 cases of rape in Berlin on the final night of 2017. However, the Berliner Morgenpost published a figure of 37, which was confirmed by the police on a request from the FDP’s spokesman for interior-ministry affairs, Marcel Luthe.

Despite a police crackdown on the night, there were two more cases of rape than on New Year’s Eve a year ago. The lower initial number was explained by police as not taking into account cases that were reported several days after the crimes took place.

Police now offer sexually assaulted women a tent at the Brandenburg gate where they may obtain assistance. The tent was apparently used by five women.

The two worst affected police precincts were numbers 3 and 5: Of the 597 offences reported on New Year’s Eve, respectivelty 140 and 118 cases came from those two.

“The figures show again that there are criminal flashpoints in the city,” Luthe told the Berliner Morgenpost. “For the coming New Year, it means that in those precincts with a hundred or more crimes, there should be targeted intervention. Twenty-five sexual offences in precincts 3 and 5 alone are absolutely out of the question and would damage tourism in Berlin.”

However, sex attacks in the city are rising throughout the year, and not only during New Year. Especially in the congested Alexanderplatz area within the Mitte district, incidents of sexual violence have doubled over the last year. Gangs of young migrants have turned it into a hub for drug trafficking, while robberies have also increased.