Violent crime in Germany’s railway system rose noticeably in 2024, according to fresh statistics from the Federal Police, revealing a climate of heightened tension in stations and onboard trains.
From January through October last year, around 10,600 cases of physical injury were recorded at train stations — a figure that already exceeded the total of 10,115 incidents for the entire previous year. A similar escalation unfolded along the open tracks, where 2,661 attacks took place in the same ten-month window, approaching the total number of reported incidents for all of 2023.
As reported by Berliner Morgenpost, the regional lines were particularly affected, recording 1,418 reported attacks, while 171 incidents occurred on high-speed trains.
“We, like the authorities, are observing a continually decreasing inhibition threshold for violence,” warned a spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn.
NEW: 🇩🇪 Foreigners commit 59% of all sexual crimes at German trains and train stations, the latest crime data shows.
Sexual violence crimes have doubled between 2019 and 2024.
Foreigners are 15% of Germany's population.
(Source: German Federal Police) pic.twitter.com/WQpbyap6Xm
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 21, 2024With more than 20 million passengers and visitors using Germany’s 5,700 train stations daily, officials have stressed that maintaining public safety is growing more complicated despite almost 6,000 federal police officers and around 4,500 Deutsche Bahn (DB) security agents patrolling stations and trains around the clock.
That challenge includes not only assault but also theft. By the end of October 2024, the Federal Police registered 10,185 incidents of stolen bags and luggage at train stations and 10,118 such thefts onboard trains — a marginal uptick compared to the previous year. High-speed trains accounted for 3,300 of these thefts, with regional services recording 3,087. These statistics, which apply to all rail operators in Germany, highlight the depth of the security concerns now weighing on travelers.
🇩🇪‼️ "I will beat you till you die… Look at your pig skin."
A migrant makes sexist, racist, and anti-LGBT remarks against young women in the Berlin train system near the Tempelhof stop. pic.twitter.com/LuJZCcrTsT
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 19, 2024Reports from recent years paint a more troubling picture overall. Last October, federal government data published after a parliamentary request from the right-wing Alternative for Germany revealed that knife attacks at German train stations have more than doubled since 2019 and foreign nationals are greatly overrepresented among the suspects.
Sexual offenses in trains and at stations have also surged, apparently doubling in that period, with law enforcement figures suggesting that foreigners account for 59 percent of these crimes. In some German states like Thuringia, train conductors have been advised to refrain from checking the tickets of foreigners to minimize the risk of confrontations.
The explosion in violence against women on German trains is incredible, and foreigners are responsible for the vast majority of such incidents. It all comes at a time when the German left-liberal government wants people taking more public transportation. https://t.co/DpStrIVCAO
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 19, 2024The head of one regional rail union has gone so far as to describe Germany’s rail system as a “life-threatening battlefield” in view of escalating violence, particularly linked to migrant perpetrators. These developments have led to growing alarm among passengers, especially women, who fear the railway network could become a no-go zone.
While acknowledging these challenges, Deutsche Bahn has moved to bolster its security measures. By the end of 2024, the company had installed 11,000 video cameras across its stations, a number paired with another 50,000 cameras installed in local and S-Bahn trains. This expansion means that roughly four-fifths of regional and suburban trains now feature some form of video surveillance.
“The use of video technology at train stations is an important component in further increasing security,” a DB spokesperson added.
His daughter was murdered by an illegal Palestinian migrant, stabbed 38 times, along with her boyfriend.
17-year-old Ann-Marie is gone, but her father won't let her memory die. He delivered a message to Olaf Scholz's face:
"There are parents standing at the grave or coffin of… pic.twitter.com/JDslDGKFA4
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) October 16, 2024
