Berlin – In Berlin, the authorities have registered 552 so-called intensive offenders. The Berlin police and the public prosecutor’s office also have six children in their files who have already committed so many serious crimes that they fall into this special category.
In the 14 to 16 age group there are 20 intensive offenders, 59 in the 16 to 18 year olds and 114 in the 18 to 21 year olds. 212 of the 552 intensive offenders in total are not German citizens. These previously unpublished figures were given by the Senate Department for Home Affairs in response to a parliamentary request from MP Marcel Luthe (Free Voters).
According to the authorities’ definition, intensive offenders are predominantly young offenders who have committed “an offense of an outstanding nature that is particularly disruptive to legal peace”, primarily robbery and brutality. Or they have committed serious crimes such as robbery and grievous bodily harm in at least five cases within a year, or have committed “offenses of some importance” in at least ten cases within a year and in which there is a risk of an entrenched criminal career. The phenomenon of the intensive offender is primarily a male one. Only seven of the 552 people are female.
The police and the public prosecutor’s office can only provide limited information on how the figures have developed over the past ten years. Because, according to the regulation, it must be checked regularly whether further storage of personal data is necessary. This is why data is only available for the past five years. There is also an inspection period of two years for people under the age of 14. For this reason, corresponding data is only available for this age group for the years from 2019 onwards.
According to the internal administration, intensive offenders also committed particularly serious cases of sexual assault or rape. Two suspects are in custody, but not for sex crimes, but for other crimes. Two other suspects are in custody, but only one for a sexual offense. Marcel Luthe finds this a scandal: “Even with the first sexual offense, such perpetrators have to be taken off the street, as the socialization obviously has to start all over again.” For Luthe, the current figures show a blatant failure of schools, youth welfare offices and parents’ homes . “The indifference with which one manages these fates promotes criminal careers.”
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