Harmful swimming spots in Lower Saxony pose significant risks
Increase in Crimes at Lower Saxony's Bathing Resorts
The number of criminal offenses in Lower Saxony's bathing areas has seen a significant rise in 2024. According to data released by the state government, the total number of offenses increased from 780 in 2023 to 1,286 in 2024.
The increase in crimes was highlighted in a response to a question from AfD member of parliament Stephan Bothe. The response showed that the number of violent crimes also saw a substantial increase, with the number of violent crimes rising from 171 in 2023 to 376 in 2024.
The number of suspects for all crimes also increased from 384 in 2023 to 702 in 2024. Out of these suspects, 233 were foreigners, accounting for 31.4%. The most prominent foreign group among the suspects in 2024 were Syrians, with 43 suspects, compared to 15 in the previous year.
However, the current response from the AfD does not provide new information on the total number of crimes in Lower Saxony's bathing areas for 2024 or 2023. The AfD politician, Stephan Bothe, has accused the state government of "reality denial" regarding the current crime figures.
Bothe has also demanded "consequential criminal prosecution" and deportations to address the situation. He points out that citizens who hold dual citizenship are only counted as Germans in the statistics.
The state government states that large cities with higher foreigner shares do not necessarily have the highest numbers of violent offenses or crimes against sexual self-determination in Lower Saxony's bathing areas. They also emphasize that a connection between the foreigner share and the crime rate cannot be established in the context of Lower Saxony's bathing areas.
Despite the increase in crimes, the share of German citizens among the suspects was 68.5% for all crimes in 2024. It's worth noting that in 2024, the foreigner share among the suspects was 31.4%, which is higher than the foreigner share in Lower Saxony, which was 13.7%.
In 2024, the number of sexual offenses increased from 59 in 2023 to 116. Out of the total 96 suspects for sexual offenses, 40 were foreigners, accounting for 41.7%. The municipalities in Lower Saxony with the highest crime numbers in bathing areas in 2024, where the proportion of suspected offenders of foreign origin was over 40%, include several bathing spots where sexual offenses and violent crimes doubled or more compared to 2023.
Bothe states that the state government is taking "absurd steps" in response to the increase in crimes. The current response from the AfD does not provide new information on the breakdown of suspects by nationality or crime type.
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