Crime - Massive increase in the number of unauthorized entries in 2023
Significantly more people entered Bavaria without permission at the end of the year than in the previous year. According to the Federal Police, there were already 30,154 cases in 2023 by the reporting date of October 31 (October 31, 2022: 23,211). Accordingly, 29,229 cases were registered in 2022 as a whole. It is striking that smugglers are being more aggressive during their journeys, said a spokesperson for the authorities. There are more frequent accidents. The most serious accident involving a smuggling vehicle occurred in Upper Bavaria in October. Seven people died.
Of those who entered the country without authorization by October 2023, 11,701 were smugglers. A spokesperson for the Federal Police explained: "Not every person who entered illegally was smuggled, but every smuggled person entered illegally." In addition, 1223 smugglers were arrested. This means that the number of smugglers has increased by five percent and the number of smuggled persons by 181 percent.
The five most common countries of origin in 2023 were Turkey, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and Iraq. The number of people from Syria increased only slightly, while the number of Turkish nationals rose sharply.
There was a shift in the type of entry: While the majority of people entered the country by road in 2019 - 36% by car, 31% by bus - and only 22% by train, the ratio had already reversed by 2022. According to the Federal Police, this trend was confirmed in 2023: At 27 percent, most unauthorized entrants use the train, followed by car (25 percent), van (13 percent), bus (11 percent) and walking (10 percent).
It is striking that smugglers are becoming increasingly reckless and risk-taking when fleeing from the police, said the spokesperson. Emergency vehicles are rammed, and there are also frequent accidents with injuries. In the devastating accident on the Autobahn 94 near Waldkraiburg in the fall that left seven people dead, 23 people were in a van, including children.
During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, the numbers had fallen noticeably. According to the Federal Police, there were 14,500 registered unauthorized entries in 2019, compared to 13,400 cases in 2020. The number then rose to 15,699 in 2021.
As a rule, EU citizens cannot enter the country without authorization, as a spokesperson explained. People from outside the EU who do not have the necessary visa and border crossing documents or financial security, for example, are considered to have entered the country without authorization.
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- The Federal Police reported an unexpected surge in unauthorized entries from Syria during the turn of the year in Bavaria, particularly noted in Munich and Upper Bavaria.
- Despite the significant increase in unauthorized entries at the end of 2023, only a slight rise was observed in the number of Syrian refugees compared to the previous year.
- The Federal Police arrested multiple individuals in Munich and Upper Bavaria for their involvement in international criminal networks, linked to car smuggling activities and syndicates.
- To combat the rising issue of criminality and unauthorized entries, the Bavarian government proposed strengthening the cooperation between local law enforcement and the Federal Police.
- As the number of unauthorized entries in Bavaria continued to rise, the Federal Police intensified their patrols along the international borders, particularly focusing on the regions near Munich and Upper Bavaria.
- The Federal Police urged all motorists in Munich and Upper Bavaria to stay vigilant, reporting any suspicious activities related to smuggling or unauthorized entries to the authorities, contributing to the reduction of criminality in the region.
Source: www.stern.de
