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Overall Crime and Safety Situation

U.S. Embassy Berlin does not assume responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the persons or firms appearing in this report. The American Citizens’ Services unit (ACS) cannot recommend a particular individual or location, and assumes no responsibility for the quality of service provided.

The U.S. Department of State has assessed Berlin as being a MEDIUM-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.

Please review OSAC’s Germany-specific page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password.

Crime Threats

Crime rates throughout Germany have been comparable to those in most first-world countries, and comparative analysis of crime data for the U.S. and Germany reveals only marginal differences. The Bundeskriminalamt’s (BKA) 2016 Police Crime Statistics for Germany indicated only minor changes in the number of the majority of recorded offenses with an increase of 0.7% overall. This resulted in reported crime being at its highest level since 2005. However, when discounting the “Aliens Act-related” crimes (which saw a 21.1% increase in 2016), a fall of 0.7% in recorded offences was registered. Significant increases were seen in violent crime (6.7%) including murder and attempted murder (14.3%), rape (12%), bodily injury (8.1%) and serious bodily injury (9.9%). Increases were also seen in drug offenses (7.1%) and weapons offenses (14.8%). Significant decreases were seen in burglaries (9.5%), shoplifting (3.3%) and economic crime (5.6%).

Some observers have suggested that official statistics may not always provide an accurate accounting of the level of crime, and not all crimes reported to the police are captured in the form of an actual police report. There have been reports of police dissuading victims from making formal reports citing little chance of capturing the suspect. Such a practice may create a disincentive to report criminal activity. Outspoken representatives of police unions have stated the number of crimes is often drastically under reported. In 2015, the head of the German Detective Union (Bund Deutscher Kriminalbeamter) accused politicians of “leaving the public in the dark as to the true level of criminality.” He claimed that only 75% of domestic burglaries were reported and that sex crimes and cybercrimes were under reported.

There have also been reports of crimes, in effect, being de-criminalized due to their frequency and impact on resources. One such report involved a community declaring petty crimes, such as shoplifting, would no longer be investigated by the authorities. To tackle high-profile criminal activities, such as violent crimes and burglaries, police have reallocated and/or increased resources in certain areas, resulting in less emphasis on investigating and detecting less serious crimes, such as fraud.

It is not uncommon for visiting Americans to be victims of purse snatching or pickpocketing in high traffic and tourist areas (in train stations, internet cafes, crowded restaurants, and outdoor market places), but violent crimes against Americans have been relatively infrequent. Carry a copy of your passport while maintaining the original in a safe location. While personal assaults do occur, there is no evidence that such crimes were driven by anti-American sentiment.

https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=237...