Offenders Are Getting Younger: Shocking Figures on Youth Crime in Austria
In the evaluation of the 2024 police report statistics, a "massive increase in juvenile delinquency" was evident, as Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) explained at a press conference on Monday in Vienna.
Crime statistics show a strong increase in offenses by juveniles
Karner described this area as a "problem child" because the perpetrators are also getting younger. Reports with suspects aged ten to 14 have doubled in recent years. In 2024, there were 12,049 reports in this category.
The proportion of non-Austrian suspects in this area is 48 percent. Reports with Syrian suspects have "practically tenfold" from 150 in 2020 to around 1,000 last year, said Karner. He named stopping family reunification as the most important measure, as the proportion of Syrian citizens would have accounted for 90 percent here, the minister said.
Underage "system breakers" as a major problem
According to Dieter Csefan, head of the department for combating organized and general crime at the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) and the newly established task force for combating juvenile delinquency last year, there is a particular problem with so-called system breakers: These are underage or immature repeat offenders who commit more than 50 offenses per month. The most active among them have more than 150 criminal charges per month. The number one has more than 1,200 offenses in total, number two more than 1,000, and number three about 900 reports. "The three alone are responsible for 28 percent of the crimes committed by those under 18 in burglaries," Csefan explained.
The BK department head called it a problem that a large part of the measures intended for immature offenders "are based on voluntariness." There is a need for "quick measures - both preventive and repressive - that are also enforceable."
Reduction of the Age of Criminal Responsibility Not a Topic for the Government
The reduction of the age of criminal responsibility, demanded by Karner last summer in the run-up to the National Council election, is no longer part of the government program after the coalition negotiations, admitted the Minister of the Interior. However, there are "other important points" such as an amendment to the Residential Stay Act, which is intended to allow the possibility of housing such repeat offenders in "prison-like" conditions. It is a "package of measures" that does "not quite" replace the reduction of the age of criminal responsibility. "But it goes in that direction," said Karner. A side note: The demand for the reduction of the age of criminal responsibility had brought about great skepticism among experts and also within police circles.
As another measure, the head of the department cited a drastic increase in the penalty for parents of school-age children who stay away from educational institutions: "The threat of 400 euros is far too low." It is to be increased to 2,000 euros.
Largest Increase Among Syrian Suspects
Last year, there were 534,193 reports, which represents an increase of 1.2 percent compared to 2023 (528,010 reports), according to Karner. The clearance rate was 52.9 percent with about 280,000 cases solved. This is the third-highest clearance rate in the past ten years. 335,911 suspects were identified. 46.8 percent of these individuals are not from Austria.
The majority of non-Austrian suspects come from Romania, followed by Germany and Syria. The highest increase of nearly 30 percent was among Syrian suspects.
Crime Statistics Record More Burglaries Again
According to Karner, there was a decrease in residential burglaries, but a significant increase in burglaries in cars and vending machines by 25 percent, which is mainly attributed to children and adolescents. The crime statistics, which are published annually, are considered a "guideline or handrail" for the work of the police, said Karner. From this, current trends and developments as well as increases, decreases, and peculiarities in the individual areas can be derived.
Cybercrime Has Stabilized "At a High Level"
Internet crime stabilized at a high level in 2024, while property crimes have increased. "The numbers for cybercrime have stabilized at a high level over the past year. The decrease of around five percent compared to 2023 shows that our efforts to raise awareness among Austrians are beginning to take effect. However, the threat on the internet is high and rising," warned the Interior Minister.
BK Director Andreas Holzer advocated for further police measures in the area of internet crime, such as the ongoing implementation of the criminal service reform. "We need an expansion of digital forensics," he said. "And it is necessary to recruit young and well-trained personnel." Holzer pointed to the cooperation with cyber trade academies in this context.
Slight Decline in Domestic Violence
According to Holzer, there was a slight decline in domestic violence. There were 36 female and 40 male victims of homicides last year. The BK chief identified violence against officials and politically motivated crimes as socially relevant problems. He pointed out that a large portion of the reports in this area can also be attributed to a few "intensive offenders." "We do not have a mass problem." He once again advocated for more digital investigation capabilities, for which "societal backing" is needed: "Keyword messenger surveillance: This is not mass surveillance, it is mass protection."
Vienna's FPÖ Identifies "Left-Left City Government" as a Crime Magnet
Reactions mainly came from election-campaigning Vienna: Vienna's FPÖ leader Dominik Nepp called for the introduction of criminal responsibility from the age of twelve and a political shift in immigration policy in Vienna. Karl Mahrer, head of the ÖVP in Vienna - which is in opposition there -, criticized that the "excessive social benefits and the welcoming policy of the left-left city government (...) increasingly act as a magnet for crime."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.