Germany has reached its limit on immigration with migrant-related violent crime on the rise and resources strained, a leading law enforcement chief has claimed.
In an interview with RBB, Berlin Police Chief Barbara Slowik voiced concerns over the impact of immigration on the city and the broader nation, suggesting that the current levels of immigration are unsustainable, both financially and socially.
“I believe that a limit has been reached as to what is affordable,” she told the broadcaster.
She emphasized the need for a comprehensive societal response to address the growing number of violent incidents involving immigrants and underscored the importance of integrating immigrants into Germany’s democratic values from a young age, with programs beginning in kindergarten.
“This is important for our constitutional state and therefore for our democracy,” she added, insisting it was vital to restore law and order to help make German residents feel safer and instill public confidence back into law enforcement.
As reported by Tagesspiegel, Germany’s crime rate has risen 5.5 percent over the past year, with 5.94 million cases recorded. Notably, the increase in non-German suspects — up 17.8 percent compared to a 1 percent rise among German nationals — has prompted heightened attention to crime prevention.
These figures don’t tell the whole story, as they do not differentiate the number of perpetrators with German citizenship who have a migration background from those who are German-born. Naturalizations in Berlin have surged dramatically in 2024, more than tripling compared to last year, driven by the liberalization of German naturalization laws.
In the first eight months of this year, 28,716 foreign nationals in the city applied for German citizenship — up from 18,018 for the whole of 2023. This sharp rise is linked to a nationwide reform of the citizenship law, which now allows naturalization after just five years of residence in Germany, instead of the previous eight. In some cases, foreigners can apply after just three years.
Berlin’s Interior Senator Iris Spranger recently announced intentions to expand police powers to enhance public safety. According to a spokesperson from the state interior ministry, upcoming amendments to the General Security and Order Act (ASOG) will broaden police authority, including granting officers access to biometric data, encrypted communications, and traffic data. These tools aim to improve crime prevention and address potential terrorism threats.
Additional measures under consideration include introducing electronic monitoring in high-risk cases, such as domestic violence. The proposed changes reflect a push toward using advanced technology to prevent crime more effectively.
Slowik also proposed the creation of a closed facility to house young migrant offenders temporarily — a proposal aimed at removing repeat juvenile offenders from environments that may foster crime and provide them with focused intervention.
However, a representative from the state interior ministry confirmed that no plans currently exist for such a facility.
