The number of violent crimes committed by children under the age of 13 has doubled in Germany since 2015. At the same time, violence among young people up to the age of 17 has also reached a record high—the number of juvenile offenders has increased by more than 50 per cent since 2015.

Since 2015, the number of underage suspects involved in violent crimes has risen from 26,583 to 45,158—according to a response from the interior ministry to a written inquiry submitted by Martin Hess, an MP for the AfD party. The numbers reveal that a growing number of children in Germany are turning to crime, according to the data published by the NIUS news portal.

Children becoming criminals: robbers, killers, and rapists

„Violent crimes” include the following offences: murder, manslaughter and contract killing, rape, sexual coercion, severe or fatal sexual violence, robbery, extortion, fatal bodily harm, dangerous and serious bodily harm, female genital mutilation, kidnapping for ransom, hostage-taking, and attacks against air and sea traffic.

Except for one brief statistical dip,

In 2015, of the 6,363 youths under 14 suspected of committing violent crimes, about 1,107 were not German (17.4 per cent). Today, nearly 5,000 foreign minors are suspected of committing such crimes (35.8 per cent). Among youth aged 14 to 17, of the 31,383 suspects of violent crime, more than one-third also do not hold a German passport (12,112 suspects, or 38.6 per cent).

Schools are increasingly becoming crime scenes

Since 2024, authorities have also started recording the locations where crimes are committed. Nearly one in five (17.8 per cent) of the violent crimes committed by minors now occurs in schools. The statistics register 6,193 violent crimes in school settings. This means that

In addition, children and young people frequently commit violent acts near bus stops and train stations (7.3 per cent of the crimes). The most common location is public space: 32.4 per cent of violent crimes committed by minors take place on roads, in public areas, parks, and green spaces.

AfD calls for lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 12

Martin Hess, an MP for AfD, who obtained the statistics from the interior ministry, attributes the doubling of violent crimes by suspects under 14 to „the direct consequence of decades of completely failed migration policy”.

He therefore supports lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 12. As he put it,