Migrants may be responsible for most of a recent rise in violent crime in Germany, research commissioned by the government suggests. Data from Lower Saxony, showed Police witnessed an increase of 10.4 percent in reported violent crimes in 2015 and 2016; 92.1 percent of the increase (not the total number of violent crimes) was attributable to migrants. A third of all victims of violent crimes by migrants were other migrants.
Researchers say the findings are not surprising because many migrants who arrived in Germany in recent years are single males aged 14-30. This group is most likely to commit crime, irrespective of nationality. With fewer women and families among the migrants meant that those young men were deprived of a "violence-preventing, civilising force", the study said. One of the authors argued that this was one reason why Germany should aim to reunite more refugee families by flying in the wives, siblings, and children of refugees already here. "Stopping family reunification already seems questionable from an ethical and a constitutional perspective. But from a criminological perspective there is a lot that speaks in favor of family reunification. An intact family is an important protective factor for many areas of life, and certainly also for successful integration."
It also said that migrants with little hope of being giving asylum in Germany were much more likely to commit violent crime than those from war zones like Syria whose asylum was guaranteed.
"Anyone who as a war refugee regards their chances of staying in Germany as good, will endeavour not to jeopardise those prospects by criminal offences," the authors of the study said. Criminology expert and study author Christian Pfeiffer explained: "The situation is completely different for those who find out as soon as they arrive that they are totally undesirable here. No chance of working, of staying here." In the Lower Saxony figures, 17% of crimes attributed to migrants were suspected of being committed by North Africans. This group, which makes up less than 1% of the state's migrant population, has little chance of achieving legal status in Germany.
Only better integration options will reduce the risk of increased crime rates among migrants, the study proposed. The best chance of preventing violent crime among migrants is to offer more integration options like language courses, sport, and practical apprenticeships.
Dirk Baier, co-author, pointed out "The first priority needs to be language, language, language," Baier told DW. "Because that always serves integration into a society, and if you don't have the language it just becomes enormously difficult to be part of society. At the end of the day it's society itself that is being challenged to integrate refugees on this scale," he said. "We've already seen a lot of this: families looking after individual refugees, volunteers joining help organizations."
Researchers say the findings are not surprising because many migrants who arrived in Germany in recent years are single males aged 14-30. This group is most likely to commit crime, irrespective of nationality. With fewer women and families among the migrants meant that those young men were deprived of a "violence-preventing, civilising force", the study said. One of the authors argued that this was one reason why Germany should aim to reunite more refugee families by flying in the wives, siblings, and children of refugees already here. "Stopping family reunification already seems questionable from an ethical and a constitutional perspective. But from a criminological perspective there is a lot that speaks in favor of family reunification. An intact family is an important protective factor for many areas of life, and certainly also for successful integration."
It also said that migrants with little hope of being giving asylum in Germany were much more likely to commit violent crime than those from war zones like Syria whose asylum was guaranteed.
"Anyone who as a war refugee regards their chances of staying in Germany as good, will endeavour not to jeopardise those prospects by criminal offences," the authors of the study said. Criminology expert and study author Christian Pfeiffer explained: "The situation is completely different for those who find out as soon as they arrive that they are totally undesirable here. No chance of working, of staying here." In the Lower Saxony figures, 17% of crimes attributed to migrants were suspected of being committed by North Africans. This group, which makes up less than 1% of the state's migrant population, has little chance of achieving legal status in Germany.
Only better integration options will reduce the risk of increased crime rates among migrants, the study proposed. The best chance of preventing violent crime among migrants is to offer more integration options like language courses, sport, and practical apprenticeships.
Dirk Baier, co-author, pointed out "The first priority needs to be language, language, language," Baier told DW. "Because that always serves integration into a society, and if you don't have the language it just becomes enormously difficult to be part of society. At the end of the day it's society itself that is being challenged to integrate refugees on this scale," he said. "We've already seen a lot of this: families looking after individual refugees, volunteers joining help organizations."
1 comment:
Whilst this report may identify some valid reasons for higher crime amongst refugees it seems to focus exclusively on the refugees as the perpetrators and thus conclude that they are to blame. The report seems not to consider that one aspect of rising crime, associated with the influx of refugees, is the indigenous German organised crime groups that prey on their vulnerability and exploit them in various criminal ways. Another reason for increased crime amongst refugees might be that if they don't have the basic life-sustaining things that they need they take them. In such case some mitigation of blame might be appropriate else to effectively blame the poor for their poverty.
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