Violence Up at German Train Stations

"Train stations, once places of mobility and peaceful encounters, are increasingly becoming no-go areas," AfD's lawmaker said in a statement. Martin Hess reacted to recent figures, according to which the number of violent incidents has surged in trains and at German train stations.

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German police recorded the highest number of violent incidents among all of the country's railway stations at Berlin's central train station in 2024. There were 764 cases, up from 620 the previous year, according to a response from the federal government to a written inquiry by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parliamentary group. Violence has erupted everywhere at German train stations. For Dortmund's main station, the statistics indicate 735 incidents, Hanover's main station 715, and Cologne's main station 703, the international  V4NA news agency reported.

Violence up at German train stations (Photo: AFP

According to the statistics, the total number of violent incidents at German train stations rose from 25,640 in 2023 to 27,160 last year. The number of sexual offenses increased from 1,898 to 2,262 over the year, while property damage rose from 30,961 to 32,671.

In the area of drug-related offenses, there were a total of 10,174 cases known in 2024, which is fewer than the previous year, when there were 18,382. Reasons for the decrease were not specified. A partial legalization of cannabis has been in place since April 2024.

The numbers are based on "incoming" police statistics, where offences are recorded when they become known to the police. This means that there is also a dark figure. However, for 2024, it should be noted that due to the European Football Championship last summer, a particularly high number of people were traveling by train for several weeks, writes the Yahoo News portal.

The spokesman for internal affairs of the conservative faction in the German parliament, Alexander Throm told Die Welt newspaper: "Train stations and trains becoming places of fear severely impact the public's feeling of security and should not be a permanent condition."

Bahnhöfe, einst Orte der Mobilität und der friedlichen Begegnung, werden zunehmend zu No-go-Areas. So stiegen die Messerangriffe in Bahnhöfen innerhalb nur eines Jahres um 20,54 Prozent. In vielen Deliktsbereichen – insbesondere bei Sexual- und Waffendelikten – sind Ausländer… pic.twitter.com/cWEL6JzD5R

— Martin Hess (@Martin_Hess_MdB) February 28, 2025

AfD lawmaker Martin Hess emphasized in a statement, that

train stations, once places of mobility and peaceful encounters, are increasingly becoming no-go areas.

At Dortmund's central station, the highest number of sexual offences, altogether 53 cases, were reported last year. This was followed by the main stations in Frankfurt, with 40 incidents, and Hamburg also with 40. In 2023, Cologne's central station led with 57 offences. The AfD's enquiry also requested information on the origin of suspects. Mr. Hess, whose party is vehemently anti-immigrant, remarked that "In many areas of crime, foreigners are disproportionately represented among the suspects."

Cover photo: Illustration (Photo: AFP)

Kriminalität an Bahnhöfen und in Zügen ist drastisch gestiegen! #nius #Bahn #Gewalt #Zug #Messerangriff #Messer #Berlin pic.twitter.com/iZrsy116pj

— Martin Hess (@Martin_Hess_MdB) March 1, 2025