- Criminals tend to frequent restroom areas primarily.
It appears that in Baden-Württemberg, thieves account for a majority of pool-related crimes. The data shows that out of the 1,105 incidents reported last year, 577 occurred in outdoor pools, equating to 52% of the total, while another 405 were recorded in indoor pools, making up nearly 48%. Compared to 2019, thieves seem to be less active, with 751 cases in outdoor pools and 549 in indoor pools being reported that year.
Despite a brief dip during the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall crime rate in Baden-Württemberg's swimming pools hasn't significantly increased. In fact, the number of crimes committed in outdoor pools has decreased by 5.9% from the previous year and by nearly 20% compared to 2019. It's worth noting that many outdoor pools had to close due to COVID-19 regulations, leading to a temporary decrease in crime across various public domains.
As for indoor pools, the number of incidents reported in 2022 was also less than in 2019, but not by as much as in the case of outdoor pools. The ministry recorded 598 crimes in indoor pools in the year before the pandemic, and only a slightly lower number, 558, in 2022.
Given the complexities caused by the pandemic, it's challenging to make direct comparisons between the crime rates in 2023 and previous years. However, 2019 is often used as a benchmark due to its relative normality compared to the pandemic years. In 2015, for instance, the ministry reported a higher total of 1,888 crimes in Baden-Württemberg.
The high number of pool-related crimes in Baden-Württemberg predominantly involve theft, as thieves account for the majority of incidents in both outdoor and indoor pools. Despite a decrease in reported crimes in 2022 compared to previous years, pool-related crime continues to pose a challenge in the region.
